It Could Have Happened
by Dr. Singe
Summary: This SwanQueen multi-chapter fic picks up in 3x21 and is how I think the two women would've gotten together, had the writers wanted it. The story will follow the show's plot lines, but the main focus will be on Emma and Regina, not whatever fresh hell is attacking Storybrooke. This is the prequel to my other story "The Chosen Happy Ending," but it also works as a stand-alone story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon A Time (Regina just owns my heart).**

 **This chapter has chunks of dialogue borrowed from the show, because it covers the couple of episodes that I think could have easily turned SwanQueen into Canon. Let me know what you think, and I hope you like it!**

The door swung shut behind Emma as she quickly strode out of the diner. Regina had pressed her to answer whether the blonde really intended to leave Storybrooke with Henry, but the sheriff wasn't ready to talk about it. So, Emma had followed her instincts and left, which left Regina, Henry, Hook, Robin, Snow, and David gathered around a booth in Granny's. Hook was quick to place his drink on the table and state, "I'll go talk to her."

Before the pirate could turn, Regina quickly disagreed, "No, I'll go."

"Regina are you sure-" David began.

"I'm sure," the Mayor assured, "If we want Emma to stay, she needs to know that she and Henry can be happy and safe here. Part of that means that she and I have to be able to get along."

Regina squeezed Robin's arm and took a step towards the door when Henry called "Wait." Regina turned and saw her son holding out the story book. "Take this. It might help her remember where she belongs."

Regina nodded, and gently took the book. "I'll bring her back, Henry," the ex-Evil Queen promised.

 **~SQ~**

Regina finally found Emma sitting cross-legged on a park bench overlooking a pond. The blonde turned at the sound of footsteps and sighed, "I don't want to talk about this."

Regina kept walking until she stood next to Emma's bench. "I didn't come to harass you, Ms. Swan." The brunette lifted an eyebrow and glanced at the bench, "May I?"

Emma sighed but gave a disgruntled, "Sure."

The pair sat for a moment, just staring at the water. Taking in a deep breath Regina asked, "Why do you want to go to New York, Emma?"

The Sheriff shot the Mayor and annoyed look. "I thought you weren't going to harass me."

Regina lifted an eyebrow, "Harassment is inappropriate or coercive behavior. I'm simply asking for your reasons."

Emma rolled her eyes, but after a quiet moment, she answered, "Henry and I don't belong here."

Regina kept her tone light as she responded, "Henry has lived here almost every day of his life. If you asked him right now, he'd tell you he doesn't want to go anywhere else."

"Henry is a kid. He doesn't know what's good for him."

"Emma, his family is here. _Your_ family is here. You've spent years wondering about what having a family would be like, and now that you have it, you want to leave? We both know that doesn't make sense. Tell me the real reason."

"Henry is my family, and we had a life in New York."

"A fake life that I created. Your home is here."

Emma turned to face the woman beside her. "It may have started that way, but there's no reason Henry and I couldn't go back to it."

Regina met the Savior's gaze. "You're running, Emma."

"I've been running since I was a kid. It's just what I did."

Regina scoffed, "So that gives you an excuse to just keep running for the rest of your life?"

Emma looked deep into the brown eyes facing her as she wistfully explained, "Home is the place that when you leave, you just miss it. I'm going to keep running until I feel that."

Regina opened her mouth to argue, but Emma had glanced over her shoulder and whispered, "What the hell is that." Confused the Mayor also looked over her shoulder. There was a huge orange beam of light shooting into the sky.

Regina frowned, "I have no idea."

Emma stood up, "I'm checking it out." She began striding towards the beam before Regina could stand.

The brunette shouted, "Emma, wait." But the blonde paid her no heed. Regina growled under her breath but stood to follow the Sheriff. The pair tracked the light all the way to the barn Zelena had tried to cast her time spell in. As they got closer, Emma finally checked her phone, and saw that David had messaged her about the beam. "It's Zelena's time portal. She died, and that somehow triggered it."

Regina stopped and shouted, "She's dead?"

"Yeah, and we need to figure out how to close this thing." Emma shouted back over the roar of the magic. Regina grabbed Emma's arm as the blonde moved to run towards the barn doors.

"We can't go in there. It's unstable, and we don't know enough about it to close it yet."

Emma ripped her hand out of the other woman's grasp. "We can't just leave it open," the Sheriff argued. But, before Regina could respond. The doors to the barn flew open, and a strong wind whipped the women off their feet and dragged them towards the fiery beam of light. One of Regina's flailing arms caught onto the edge of the barn door, and the other caught the Savior's hand. "Hold on!" She desperately roared at Emma. She and the Savior could both feel the blonde's hand slipping from hers. Regina lifted her head to meet Emma's terrified gaze, but an instant later, the blonde's hand was pulled free of her grasp. She watched as the Sheriff was sucked into the vortex.

"Damn it, Swan." Regina growled. She knew there was only one thing she could do to help Emma. So, Regina let go of the doorframe, and followed Emma into the blazing portal.

~One Time Traveling Adventure Later~

Emma strode toward the mayor's office door and with a purposeful attitude turned the doorknob. It was locked. The sheriff looked at the frosted windows of the office doors, "Gina," she called. I know you're in there. I can see the lights on."

Regina was curled against the other side of the office door, her knees pulled against her chest and her hands limp against the floor. The Queen felt like her heart was shattered, and the splinters were embedded in her chest. There was heat from unshed tears behind her eyes, and all she could think about was the pain of losing Robin, her happy ending stripped away yet again. She had no intention of letting the Sheriff into her office, nor did she intend to even get off the floor anytime soon.

Realizing she wasn't going to get a response, Emma sighed and leaned one hand against the door, the other moving to the pocket of her black skinny jeans. She paused for a moment and then gently assured, "I know this is all complicated, but you can have happiness." Regina folded her arms across her knees and seemed to sink further into herself. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but you just have to fight." Regina pulled her knees closer and rested her head against her arms. She was so tired of fighting.

Emma looked back at the hallway and then again at the door. Her face was determined, as though she could feel Regina as she sank lower into her pain. In a stronger voice the Sheriff insisted, "Okay, if you won't I will. Henry brought me to Storybrooke to bring back the happy endings. My job's not done until I do that for everyone, including you." When Emma still heard no response from the Mayor, she sucked in a small breath and turned down the hallway.

Regina lifted her head as she heard the Sheriff's footsteps grow fainter. The Queen's face glistened softly with tears. Her eyes roved over the office, at the symbolic seat of her power in Storybrooke. Instead of feeling reassured by the strength of that symbol, she just felt empty. Her eyes had just landed on the storybook she had tossed onto her coffee table when there was a sudden puff of white smoke. As it cleared, Regina saw the Savior's slightly smug expression at her successful teleportation. The mayor quickly swiped her fingers under her eyes, dashing away her tears. "Ms. Swan, if the locked door didn't make my wishes clear, I am not in the mood for company." Regina's tone was clearly supposed to be haughty, but, without the Mayor's usual briskness, it just sounded tired.

Emma's eyes landed on the brunette. Surprise flittered across the blonde's face at the mayor's fetal position but was quickly replaced with concern. Emma had seen this woman blasted against walls, face angry mobs, and fight against her own darkness, but never had she seen Regina look so small.

Regina saw the concern in Emma's eyes and interpreted it as pity. The Mayor began to bristle, until she remembered she was still on the ground. Before she could spring back to her feet, Emma crossed the room and stood in front of Regina, blocking the brunette from standing. After a moment of hesitation, Emma shuffled slightly to Regina's left and turned to slide to the ground. She was close enough to Regina that she could feel the heat coming off the other woman's body.

Regina's position was rigid. She didn't want pity, and she certainly didn't need anyone else to comfort her. Emma could feel the tension rolling off Regina in waves, but instead of moving away, she pushed her shoulder into Regina's. "I told you I'm fighting for your happy ending. That means I'm not going to leave you alone to cry in an empty office."

The brunette rolled her eyes, and let her head fall back against the door. "I don't need your help, Emma. I'm capable of managing my own emotions."

The Sheriff, turned her head to look at Regina, "After all the time we just spent in the Enchanted Forest, I'm pretty clear on the fact that you can handle yourself."

With a sigh, Regina asked, "Then why are you here?"

Emma turned her head to face the mayor's desk and leaned her head back to mirror Regina's position. "Just because you can handle this on your own, doesn't mean you have to." Emma paused, waiting for Regina to comment. When the brunette just continued to stare at the ceiling, the Sheriff continued, "I've spent years not letting people in and handling everything on my own. Shutting people out means you don't get hurt, but, you and I both know, eventually all shutting people out does is leave you feeling empty inside."

"Ms. Swan-" Regina started, but she was quickly cut off by Emma.

"Regina, just five minutes. All you have to do it sit next to me, and then I'll leave you alone. Just, let me be here for you." Emma insisted.

The Mayor closed her eyes, "I don't need you, Emma."

"I'm not saying you do. I'm saying we're part of each other's lives now, and that means being there for each other."

It was Regina's turn to look at the blonde, appraising her. Regina's tension slowly left her shoulders, and, after a moment, the brunette nodded.

After two minutes ticked by, Regina leaned her head against Emma's shoulder. She'd deny it if the Savior ever mentioned it, but in that moment, Regina was grateful to not be left alone. Emma didn't comment on the contact, but when the promised five minutes passed, neither woman made a move to stand or change positions. They sat there for several more silent minutes, until Regina slowly straightened her back. Emma glanced at the brunette. "How are you feeling?" the Sheriff asked.

Regina sighed, "Tired of sitting on the floor."

Emma gave a slight snort and then stood, pulling the Mayor with her. Once the women were fully vertical, Emma asked again, "Now how are you feeling?"

Regina smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Now, I'm just tired. I'm physically and mentally exhausted, and I'm sick of losing my happy ending."

Emma placed her hands on Regina's shoulders, "Hey, I know not being able to be with Robin hurts, but that doesn't mean your happy ending is gone. Look at how hard you've work. I just saw first-hand how much you've grown since being the Evil Queen. You're not her anymore."

The Mayor closed her eyes and took a step away from the Sheriff. "It doesn't matter how much I've grown, Emma. I'm a villain, and villains don't get happy endings."

The Savior let her hands drop to her sides, but she was far from giving up. "Regina, if the last few days have shown me anything it's that you're not the same person you used to be. You're not a villain anymore."

Regina shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I am now. Look at Henry's storybook. All the stories have one thing in common, and it's that villains never get their happy endings. And no matter what I do, I'll always be seen as a villain."

Emma looked at the innocent-looking book on the table. "No, I don't believe that. Villains may not get happy endings, but people still get second chances, including you."

Regina gave the blonde a sad smile. "In that book, I had many second chances, but I turned them all down. Now that the last page is written, there's no more room for second chances."

Emma shook her head and stalked towards the coffee table, picking up the book in her hands. "There has to be a way to change that. No one can just decide that you aren't worth saving, no matter how many chances you've had."

Regina stared at the Sheriff as the blonde began rifling through pages of the book. Her brow wrinkled as an idea began to form in her head. "Say that again."

Emma didn't look up from the book as she asked, "What?"

"You said no one gets to decide how many chances I get." Regina repeated. "Who wrote the story? Who decided when the book ended?"

Emma finally met Regina's gaze. She shrugged and answered, "I don't know, whoever the author is."

Regina nodded, "Exactly, if I could find him or her, maybe the author could be persuaded to write me a happy ending."

Emma's face split into a grin. "Alright, where do we start looking?"

Regina lifted an eyebrow, "You want to help track down a fairytale author?"

Emma walked back over to the brunette, book still in hand. She looked straight into Regina's eyes as she promised, "I am going to help you find your happy ending. If that means hunting down authors, then no problem. I'm good at finding people."

Regina smiled at the Sheriff, and, for a moment, Emma was struck by the gentleness in the Mayor's eyes. Taking the book from Emma's hands, Regina flipped open the cover and stated, "Alright, then let's get started."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Everyone, just a heads up, there is some OutlawQueen in this chapter, but it doesn't go very far. If you're a fan of Robin though, don't worry, I didn't make him a bad guy. However, this is a SwanQueen fic, so I gotta break his heart a little. I hope you like the chapter, and let me know what you think.**

"Regina, could you walk any louder?" Emma hissed.

The Mayor shot the Sheriff a scathing look, "I'm sorry I was wearing five-inch-high heels and a dress when you decided we should go rushing into a time portal." The two women were trying to sneak up to a clearing ahead, where they could hear people's distressed voices. Unfortunately, the brunette's shoes kept sinking into the soft earth and caused her to break a small limb off a nearby tree when she reached out for support. Undeterred by Regina's sarcasm, Emma stared at the Mayor's feet until the ex-Evil Queen sighed and pulled her shoes off. At least the forest floor was relatively soft.

Regina and Emma continued to slink forward until they were crouched behind the branches of a fallen pine tree, just a hundred feet from the center of a small town. Emma's eyes were instantly riveted on the villagers being pulled from their homes and shoved into a line outside, but Regina's eyes were stuck on the black and white carriage that had just been pulled to a stop. The brunette's heart was thrumming in her chest as the carriage door opened, and a shiny black boot stepped out.

Emma whipped her head towards the Mayor as the person in the carriage fully emerged. "Regina, it's-"

"The Evil Queen," Regina finished quietly.

The pair watched as the Queen swept down the line, threatening the villagers. Emma took in the Evil Queen's figure as it stalked away from them, "You're even worse without the sensible pantsuits." The Sheriff muttered.

"Ms. Swan is now the time to discuss wardrobe?" the Mayor growled, turning her head to face the blonde at the same moment the Evil Queen spun to strut back down the line. Regina turned in time to see a shift in the Sheriff's gaze. Emma's eyes dipped to the Queen's leather clad legs, and her green irises darkened slightly. Regina lifted an eyebrow at the Savior, "Em-"

 _ **BEEP, BEEP, BEEP**_

The Mayor groaned as she cracked open one eye and glared at her alarm clock. She reached across her bed and tapped the off button, silencing the damn thing. Normally, she beat the alarm and was already showered before it went off, but for the last week, since she and Emma had come back from the past, she had been dreaming about the time she and the Sheriff had spent in the Enchanted Forest. It was disconcerting to say the least.

After Emma had agreed to help her find the author, neither of the women had had a moment to plan anything as they'd needed to help Elsa, try to hunt down the Snow Queen, and, as if that hadn't been enough, Robin's wife, Marion, had been struck with a frozen heart curse. Regina already had more than her fair share to deal with, without wondering why she kept dreaming about the time portal incident.

With a sigh, the Mayor forced herself out of bed. She went through the motions of getting ready, but her mind was stuck on two images. The first was the image of Robin Hood leaning in to give his wife True Love's kiss, and the second was of darkening emerald eyes. Both were threatening to drive her insane. Every time she thought about Robin's kiss with Marion, guilt, pain, and territorial victory warred inside her. The kiss should have broken the freezing curse encasing Marion, but it failed. Because, Robin's heart was no longer Marion's. It was hers… even though she knew she couldn't keep it. Then there were those green eyes of the blonde woman haunting her dreams, a fact Regina hadn't dared to unpack the meaning of. Emma was important to her of course. She was Henry's other mother and surprisingly, to the Mayor most of all, her friend. But that's all they were, co-mothers and friends. _Then why the hell do I keep thinking about her?_ Regina mentally groused.

Irritated but dressed, Regina lifted her hands and magicked herself to her vault. With purple smoke still dissipating, the Mayor took a seat on top of an old chest and picked up the book she'd been half-way through the day before. She was trying to find anything that would help defeat the Snow Queen, but her searching had proved fruitless thus far. Hours passed, and Regina read until her eyes burned with fatigue. Tired and frustrated, the ex-Evil Queen stood and started pacing around the vault. She had been sitting for so long that she just needed to move. She absentmindedly took off her black blazer and tossed it onto a nearby chair. The air in the vault was chilled, and the knee-length red dress she wore did little to keep her warm. But the Mayor's mind didn't register the cold, even though her bare arms erupted in goosebumps.

Without her books to focus on, Regina found it impossible to keep the two images plaguing her all week from surfacing once again. Her head throbbed when she was forced to see Robin pressing his lips against his frozen wife's. She shoved that picture to the side, deciding that even dealing with the meaning behind the Savior's haunting of her mind would be better than seeing Robin kiss Marion one more time. She watched as her mind replayed the moment Emma's eyes darkened, that green gaze intensely focused on Regina's past self. It didn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe the Sheriff had just been surprised at how fitted the Evil Queen's leather pants had been. It was rather impressive. Besides, it wasn't like Emma would actually be interested in Regina. Nor would Regina ever be interested in Emma. _Liar,_ a voice whispered in the back of the Mayor's head. Regina scrunched her nose in annoyance at the voice, as another memory from the Enchanted Forest pushed to the forefront of her mind.

~SQ~

"We need to find Rumple." Emma whispered. Regina nodded and pulled the blonde deeper into the forest.

Once they could no longer hear the villagers, Regina stopped and turned to the Sheriff. "Before we go to Rumple, we need to change."

Emma gave the Mayor a blank stare, "Change what?"

Regina rolled her eyes, "Outfits, Ms. Swan. No one wears red leather jackets here. If someone saw you in it, you may as well be wearing a neon sign that says you don't belong here."

"Oh yeah, cause your designer heels totally fit in." Emma countered.

Regina shot the Sheriff an unimpressed look, before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke. When the brunette reappeared, she was dressed in loose gray pants, a white, fitted, long-sleeved tunic, and supple, brown leather boots.

Satisfied with her appearance, the Mayor gave the Sheriff a once over. Emma knew what that look meant, and started to protest, "Regina, don't-" But it was too late. Regina waved her hand at the blonde, and Emma became engulfed in swirling purple. Once the smoke had cleared, Emma was wearing a long, pleaded skirt, white under shirt, and a tight brown corset, all finished off with a brown, flowing cloak.

After glancing down, the Sheriff demanded, "Wh- How come you get to wear pants?"

The brunette rolled her eyes, "The Evil Queen was well known for her dresses, so few would be expecting me to be wearing pants, at least pants that aren't leather. We're also glamoured, but it's better to take all precautions."

Emma's eyes took on a glazed look for a moment, and when it took her slightly longer than normal to reply, Regina was reminded of how Emma had gazed at the Evil Queen. However, before the Mayor could really begin to start dwelling on that look, Emma seemed to collect herself and replied, if a little dazedly, "Glam- what?"

"Glamor, it's a magical disguise. To anyone else or reflective surface, we have different facial features."

Emma nodded, but pressed, "But why do I have to be wearing a dress?"

Regina smirked, "Your case is different, most women wore dresses. You'll be more conspicuous in pants."

"That's a lame excuse. If you get to wear pants, so do I." the Sheriff insisted.

Regina shook her head, "I'm not in the habit of taking demands."

The Sheriff glowered at the brunette, "Get me different clothes or I'll go find some."

"Amateur mistake. We're trying to not make an impact. Stealing clothes, or even worse, going into a market where you could run into anyone, would likely cause a ripple effect."

The blonde continued to frown at the Mayor until the brunette lifted a relenting hand and caused purple smoke to again fill the air. However, Regina was the one consumed by smoke instead of Emma. As it swirled away, Regina was left standing in an outfit similar to Emma's, only the Mayor's corset and cloak was black. Regina lifted an eyebrow at the Savior, "There, now neither of us is wearing pants. "

A grin was playing at the edges of the Sheriff's lips as she nodded, "Fine, let's get going."

Regina smirked and started walking in the direction of Rumpelstiltskin's castle. Surprised, Emma jogged to catch up to the brunette. "Wait, why don't you just poof us over there?"

Regina lifted an eyebrow at the word 'poof' but explained, "Rumple would sense anyone… poofing near his castle."

"So, we're walking?"

"Correct."

Emma sighed, but dutifully kept stride beside the Mayor. But after a few moments of silence, Emma began to shift uncomfortably. "Regina, this corset is killing my boobs." Emma grumbled.

Amused, Regina's eyes flicked to the Sheriff, a quip on the brunette's lips, but her eyes got caught on Emma's chest. The Mayor's gaze lingered on the more-than-usual amount of cleavage the blonde was displaying. Finally tearing her gaze away, Regina met the green eyes boring into her, and judging by the Sheriff's lifted eyebrows and amused expression, the brunette's wandering eyes hadn't gone unnoticed,

Regina expected herself to feel annoyed by that look, but instead she felt her heartbeat quicken at the teasing challenge she felt coming from Emma. The Mayor realized they had stopped walking, but she couldn't seem to turn from the Savior's intense staring. She could feel heat flooding her body under that gaze and several emotions rising that she hadn't been expecting. But instead of saying that, instead of telling Emma all the things she made the brunette feel, Regina cleared her throat and turned to resume her walk through the forest.

~SQ~

 _It wasn't flirting._ Regina internally chanted. The tension between her and the Sheriff was natural. They'd been challenging each other since the blonde woman came to Storybrooke. Even if that tension had felt tinged with something more than a challenge, it had been an exceptionally stressful day, and she couldn't trust whatever she had been feeling in that high-pressure state. It didn't mean anything that she could still feel the heat of Emma's gaze on her skin. It also didn't matter that there were moments, even before the time portal, where she'd felt something a bit more risqué than friendship for Emma. "That was before Robin!" Regina growled at an empty vault. The Mayor sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. _I should have stayed with the Robin and Marion issue._ Regina was about to magic herself home, hoping that her thoughts of the blonde were just from being a bit stir-crazy, when her eyes locked on the storybook in the corner of the vault. She had tossed it there a few days ago and hadn't had a moment to think about it since.

Regina plucked the book from its resting place, returned to her seat on the chest, and randomly flipped through the Storybook. Her hands stilled on the pages, as her eyes locked on the chapter where Snow had prevented Charming from carrying through with the Evil Queen's execution. The Mayor's mind finally quieted as she gazed at the picture of herself blind folded and tied to a post. Several arrows were just inches from piercing her chest, stopped at the last moment by the Blue Fairy, on Snow White's command. She had been only a second from death when the arrows were stopped, but the Queen's face was expressionless in the picture. Her mind hadn't been on the deathblow looming a breath away, it had been on Daniel, his face, his voice. In what she had thought would be her last moments, she had wondered, hoped with every bit of her being, that she would get to see him again.

Even as the Evil Queen, as she faced execution for her crimes, she had still held out hope for a sliver of a happy ending. Yet, there she sat, years later, still waiting for her happy ending. She thought she'd finally gotten it. She really had. It was supposed to be Robin Hood. Tink had said it, and Regina could feel it. If they'd been given more time, she would have fallen in love with the bandit. But the image of Robin leaning in to kiss Marion once again flooded her mind, and the Mayor softly shook her head, trying to shake away the unwanted picture. _He's not your happy ending,_ Regina chastised herself, _because he can't be yours at all._ The Mayor's shoulders slumped slightly at that last thought, and her thumbs trailed over the edges of the storybook.

The silence engulfing the vault was interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps on the stairs leading in. Regina knew who it was without looking up, and she closed her eyes as a stab of pain jolted through her. She let out a resigned sigh as she opened her eyes and lifted her head towards the man standing in the archway.

"Regina," Robin Hood started without prompt, "I have lived by a code my entire life. Steal from the rich and give to the poor, be truthful, righteous, and good." The Mayor's face was impassive as she stared at the man she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. "I have tried to live by that code every day of my life."

Regina's blank face became stained with confusion and slight frustration, as she asked, "Then why are you here?"

Robin took a step forward and answered, "Cause today is not one of those days," and then he was caressing Regina's face as he swept the Mayor into a passionate kiss. His hands dropped to firmly clasp her hips, while her fingers drifted up to become entangled in his hair. The kiss was all teeth and tongue, driven by the need to just be in each other's embrace.

Regina broke the kiss, gasping for air, and Robin immediately ducked his head to begin leaving tantalizing kisses along the Mayor's throat. Part of Regina didn't want that moment to ever end, the feeling of wanting each other as much as they had before everything had gotten so complicated. But a larger part of Regina, the part that had fought for three years to turn from her dark past, took control and placed a hand on Robin's chest, gently but insistently pushing him away.

Robin pulled back, confused, "What's wrong?"

Regina met his eyes, but instead of being overwhelmed by her feelings for him, she remembered his lips pressing against Marion's, followed by the briefest flash of emerald eyes. "We can't do this, Robin," the Mayor whispered.

Robin looked as though Regina had slapped him. He squeezed her hips, "But I love you."

Regina felt her eyes fill with tears. She'd wanted to hear those words for so long. The part of her that had wanted to revel in Robin's embrace was begging her to repeat the words back to him, to never push him away again. But with an unsteady breath, the Mayor took a step back, and then another, until Robin's hands fell away from her. "Two weeks ago, I would have- I was falling-" Regina had to stop herself, because finishing that sentence wouldn't help. She took his hand in both of hers and tried again, "All those years ago, if I had had the courage to walk up to you, I would have saved a lot of people pain and suffering. Because, I would have loved you. If I had talked to you that day, I don't think I would've ever cast the curse… but I didn't and now I have Henry. I promised him, and myself, I would be a hero, so I can't go back to the person I was, the person who would be fine being the reason you break your vow to Marion."

Robin reached out with the hand not clutched in the brunette's grasp and ran his thumb along her cheekbone. He was staring deeply into the Mayor's eyes, and despite what she'd just said, if he leaned forward, if he kissed her, she doubted she could resist again. "Regina," his voice wrapped around her name like a caress, but whatever else he was going to say was cut off by Regina's ringtone. The brunette squeezed his hand before letting go to pick up her phone.

"It's Henry." Regina looked back at Robin, silently asking him to understand.

Robin dipped his head and said, "Of course, you should answer it."

Regina accepted the call, and Henry's anxious voice burst through the phone the second she answered.

"Henry, what's wrong?"

Robin couldn't make out exactly what Regina's son was saying, but he could hear the faint rapid buzzing of the boy's voice coming from the phone and knew the teen had to be quite upset.

"Alright, I'll be right there." The Mayor assured. After a final buzz from the other side of the phone Regina hung up and turned to face Robin. "I have to go. Henry needs me."

Crestfallen, Robin nodded. "Is he alright?"

"Yes, but Emma lost control of her magic and ran off. I need to go help find her."

Clearing his throat, Robin promised, "I'll tell the Merry Men to keep an eye out."

Regina walked up to him and noticed the hopeful glint that filled his eyes. But she just squeezed his forearm in thanks and, after a brief hesitation, walked passed him to the stairs. She couldn't think about the sorrow in his eyes as she left or the way her heart was throbbing in pain. She had a son who needed her and a Sheriff to find.


	3. Chapter 3

**I thought I would do the time portal flashbacks in chronological order, but this chapter had other ideas. Also, in the show Regina wasn't Mayor for half a second, and I'm choosing to ignore that half a second. I will, however, concede that Snow fills in for Regina when she needs a break, but Regina still holds the official title. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll catch you on the next update**

Regina rubbed her eyes as she pushed a fern to the side. She'd looked all over Storybrooke and hadn't found a trace of the Sheriff, which was what led her to be searching the woods for the blonde in the early morning. The Mayor was tired, her boots were caked with mud, and after denying Robin the night before, she really just wanted to flop back on her king-size bed and stew by herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't convince herself to go home and trust that Emma would come to her senses and find her or her parents. Regina knew that Emma wouldn't come back until her magic was under control, but from what the brunette had heard, Emma wouldn't be accomplishing that for a while. If left unfound, it was more than likely that the Sheriff would continue to panic, her powers would become even more erratic, and Emma's location wouldn't become known until she really lost control and blasted a very large crater in Storybrooke. The Mayor already had enough paperwork to do without adding that to her list.

Regina's attention was snagged from the surrounding forest to the soft ringing coming from her pocket. She quickly fished her buzzing phone out and accepted the incoming call.

"Hello," she answered.

"Mom, I found her!" Henry's voice gushed through the phone. "She's freaking out, and I think she slept in her car, but she seems fine." Henry was obviously panicked, and his words were oozing together. Regina tried to speak, but her son's voice washed over hers, "I think I made her feel cornered, so I left, but I'm afraid she'll leave, and we won't find her again."

The fear in her son's voice weighted Regina, and she forced herself to be calm as she asserted, "Henry, you need to slow down." When there was pause on the other end of the line, Regina knew he was trying to calm himself. She gave him a moment before asking, "Where is she?"

"Her car is parked on one of the wider trails, the one that goes through the center of the forest." Regina could hear paper rustling on the other end of the line. "If I'm reading this map right, she should be about a mile from the Toll Bridge." It was very lucky that Regina knew every inch of the forest from when she created the curse. Regina pictured the road and hoped that Henry was right about how far from the bridge his blonde mother was. It wasn't exactly a wise choice to teleport to a location where there was a very real possibility of getting hit by the Savior's deathtrap of a car but desperate times…

"Alright Henry, go find your grandparents and tell them you've found her. I'll meet you back at their apartment with Emma."

Before Regina could hang up, Henry interjected, "Wait, I want to go too."

The Mayor hesitated for a moment and then explained, "Henry, Emma is letting her fear rule over her magic." Regina knew she wouldn't be able to focus if Henry was in danger, and Emma would definitely be more panicked if she thought she herself was a threat to their son. "It will be easier for her to reclaim her powers if she's not worried about accidentally hurting you."

There was a heavy silence on Henry's side of the phone before he reluctantly agreed. Regina was slightly surprised at how easily he had acquiesced, but his tone didn't have any of the tell-tale signs that he was planning to disobey. Knowing she was short on time, Regina didn't dig deeper, and after a rushed goodbye, ended the call and lifted her hands.

Regina felt her feet briefly leave the ground as her vision was obscured by purple smoke. When her feet reconnected with the earth, the smoke instantly began to disappear. Regina took in the scene before her, Emma's surprised face, the yellow Volkswagen jerking like it had just started to move only to be brought to an abrupt halt, and the most attention-grabbing, the Snow Queen standing a few yards from the Bug.

The Ex-Evil Queen's palm filled with fire. Glaring directly at the Snow Queen she snarled, "Leave." She threw the fireball at the offending woman, who wisely disappeared in a flurry of snowflakes. Regina smirked. She may no longer be evil, but she could still be terrifying. The Mayor turned her attention to the still wide-eyed Sheriff.

She folded her arms and called, "Get out of the car, Emma."

The blonde ignored her and yelled through the Bug's open window, "Regina, please move. I can't control my powers. I'm not safe." Emma's glowing hands sparked against the steering wheel, as if in emphasis.

The Mayor quirked an eyebrow and flicked a tiny fireball at the windshield. "Out. Of. The. Car," she commanded, a little fireball pinging against the windshield with each word.

The fire was tinging the windshield to a burnt grey. "Damn it, Regina!" Emma shouted, throwing the Volkswagen door open. The Sheriff's agitation was causing her magic to flare even more. Regina tilted head as she watched Emma futilely try to the flick the magic out of her hands.

"Miss Swan, what are you doing?" the Mayor drawled.

Emma shot a piercing glare at Regina, "I'm trying to not accidentally blast you into the air." Regina had to bite back a smirk at Emma's expression. It certainly looked like she wanted to blast the Mayor off her feet. It was the same look she gave Regina right before they came back through Zelena's time portal.

 **~SQ~**

"Damn it, Regina!" Emma shouted, "Just get us the hell out of here." They had been banished into Rumpelstiltskin's vault of exceptionally dangerous objects about ten minutes ago, when the Dark One had gotten tired of Emma's and Regina's arguing.

Regina looked up from her nails to Emma's angry pacing. "No," she declined and then went back to examining the chipped polish on her fingertips. She really needed to get them touched up.

"Regina!" Emma snarled.

The Mayor didn't deign to glance up again as she answered, "You can scream my name as much as you like, dear. I won't be persuaded."

Emma growled as she stalked past the table Regina was leaning against, giving one of the legs a swift kick. The brunette sighed as she caught her balance, "Miss Swan, don't be childish."

The Sheriff swung around to face the Mayor, " _I'm_ being childish? You're the one that won't cast the stupid spell to send us home."

"I'm not the only one with magic, dear. If you're so ready to leave, cast it yourself. Your powers should be back now that Zelena's gone, and Rumple said only one of the people who originally went through the time portal could cast the reversal spell. That includes you."

"If I could make it work, I would." Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde and Emma snapped, "I'm tired, I'm dirty, and I really want to get out of here. You really think I'm faking not being able to make this thing work?" Emma gestured with the wand she was tightly clutching.

Regina uncrossed her arms and clasped the table on either side of her hips. "I think, when we finally get back to Storybrooke, it would be much easier for you to continue to run away and pretend like you belong in New York if you no longer have powers."

"I'm not trying to run! I just want to get home to Storybrooke." Emma insisted.

Regina quirked an eyebrow, "Home?"

Emma's shoulders sagged, "Yes, home."

Regina's eyes narrowed at the Sheriff. "What changed?"

"Watching my mom die." Emma shifted her feet, "Well, thinking she was dead… I was so relieved when she was okay, but when I hugged her, do you know what I saw in her eyes?" Tears were threatening to spill from the Savior's own eyes as she whispered, "Nothing. She didn't know who I was." Emma's voice cracked and the tears started to tumble down her face. "I saved her, and I lost her, too. And that's what I've been doing to her since I met her." Emma took in a breath and said, "It's gotta stop. When Henry brought me to Storybrooke, he told me I was the Savior. I didn't see what he was really doing. He wasn't bringing me back to break a curse. He was bringing me home." Emma's eyes had dried as she spoke, and a warm smile lit her face. "Storybrooke. It's my home."

Regina held Emma's gaze, a soft curve to the corner of her lips. "What?" Emma asked.

"Look down, Miss Swan."

The wand Rumpelstiltskin had given her earlier was glowing in her hand, soft white tendrils of magic curling into the air. "It looks like your magic is back." Regina grinned. The brunette pointed to an empty corner and said, "After you, dear." Emma faced the cleared area, widened her stance, and closed her eyes. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Regina watched as Emma's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, until what had once been an empty wall was filled with a golden tunnel of swirling light.

Pleased, Regina flicked her fingers, and the unconscious woman she'd rescued from the Evil Queen's dungeon, Marion, rose into the air. Regina guided Marion's floating form as she strode towards the portal. With her free hand, Regina brushed Emma's forearm as she passed and murmured, "Well done, dear." Then she stepped through the portal leading back to Storybrooke.

 **~SQ~**

The Mayor studied the Sheriff for a moment. She took in the way Emma seemed irritated but kept her shoulders curved slightly inwards, with her hands clasped in front of her chest. The bold as brass Sheriff was lacking her usual confident swagger, and it softened the usually sharpened edges of Regina's heart. "Miss Swan, you're not going to hurt me," Regina assured, taking measured steps towards the angry and panicked blonde.

"I just made Henry bleed. I really don't want to hurt you too, so please, just go." The Savior pleaded.

Regina paused. Henry hadn't mentioned being injured. Trying to keep her voice level, she asked, "Is he alright?"

"He's fine, but that was just luck," the Sheriff miserably husked. "I can't control this, and it's only getting worse."

Regina took another step and placatingly held her hands up. "Emma, you can't hurt me."

The Sheriff started to protest, "Regina, don't-" but with a misdirected handwave, the blonde sent a bolt of magic into the forest, cutting through a tree's heavy limb. A thick, resounding crack filled the clearing as the branch hurtled towards the earth, right where Regina was standing. The brunette barley glanced at the branch, more focused on the blonde's look of pure horror. With a slight flick of her wrist, a glowing purple half dome shielded the Mayor. The limb landed harmlessly on the shield, and with a wave of her hand, Reina sent it flying back into the forest.

Regina tossed her hair over her shoulder and lifted her eyebrows at the Sheriff, "You were saying?" Overwhelmed with shock and relief that the Mayor wasn't harmed, Emma was left speechless. Regina took another step towards the frozen blonde. "Dear, I have been practicing magic for a very long time. You don't need to worry about hurting me." She was only a few steps from Emma when she finally came to a halt. She saw the nervous way Emma was wringing her hands against chest and decided to let the blonde close the remaining gap. "I know you're scared, but you can't keep fighting your magic." Emma's hands sparked again, and she squeezed them even tighter. "Emma," Regina warned sensing the Sheriff's desire to run, "Magic is emotion. The more frightened you are, the more you lose control." Another wave shot from Emma's hands, but Regina was quick to shield, preventing herself from being blasted backwards. Dark, determined eyes locked on petrified, emerald ones. "You can't run from this, because it's a part of you, Emma. You have to accept that. You need to embrace it." Regina put one foot forward and stretched her hand towards Emma's glowing ones.

"Regina, what are you doing?" Emma asked, staring at Regina's hand like she expected it to strike her at any moment.

Regina's tone was gentle as she insisted, "You can't be afraid anymore, Emma."

Emma's eyes widened, realizing what the Mayor wanted. "But this could kill you."

Regina left her hand extended, "I trust you, Miss Swan. You need to trust yourself."

Emma's gaze dropped to Regina's offered hand. She hesitantly reached to clasp it, but a spark from the Savior's hand caused her to shoot her forward the last inch, locking her hand around Regina's. For the briefest of seconds, the two women felt their magic clash against each other, crashing, fusing, and molding together, but in the next moment, a flash of energy burst from their entwined hands. The trees around them rippled with the impact as the magic swept through the forest. A relieved gasp fell from Emma's lips as a tear escaped the corner of her eye, "It stopped."

"No," Regina chuckled, "you _controlled_ your magic." She released Emma's hand and said, "Try it."

Emma pulled back the sleeves of her jacket and flipped her hands palm up. With an encouraging nod from Regina, a soft red glow filled the Savior's hands. The Sheriff smiled and then wiggled her fingers, causing the glow to morph into rainbow colors. The magic glided off her hands and into the sky, dancing in an imitation of the Northern Lights. Emma's smile widened as she watched her creation. With another twitch her fingers, she caused the colors to swirl into twin spheres of color before they exploded into bright fireworks. Emma laughed with childlike delight.

Regina quietly stood next to Emma as they watched Emma's dazzling explosives flash across the sky. When the last of the fireworks had fizzled out and all that was left were the grey smoky remnants, Regina lightly tugged on Emma's hand. "Come on, Miss Swan. I promised Henry we'd meet him at your parents' apartment."

Emma chuckled, "Then we'd better get going. The Kid doesn't wait very well."

Regina smirked, "Yes, he's almost as impatient as his birth mother."

"Ye- hey!" Emma objected, lightly shoving Regia's shoulder. The Mayor lifted an eyebrow at the Sheriff. Emma scoffed, "I'm not _that_ impatient."

Regina rolled her eyes as she opened the Volkswagen's passenger door, a smile still teasing the edges of the brunette's lips. "Just get into the car, Emma."


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, I know it's been a bit since my last update, but does it make it better if I really missed you guys? This chapter mostly takes place in season 4, episode 12, so Ana/Elsa are back home, and the Snow Queen arc has been resolved. We're coming up on the Author portion, exciting things. Let me know if there's anything specific you for sure want me to hit from that chunk of the series. Hope you guys like the chapter!**

"You want to take her back?" Emma was staring at Regina with a look of pure disbelief. "This whole time you've been telling me how one small thing could mess up the entire time stream, which we just got fixed, and now you want to bring someone from the past to the future."

"That is what I just said." Regina drawled. At Emma's unamused look, the Mayor clarified, "She's supposed to be dead. If we leave her here, she could completely alter the past."

Emma continued to stare at Regina for a moment before conceding, "Alright, but she's not going to take it well."

The Sheriff was right.

"I don't understand. I just want to get back to my family." Marion was glancing from Regina to Emma, protest and confusion written on her face.

Regina tried to explain again, "They need to believe you're dead, because that's what they've always thought in the future."

"Trust us." Emma implored.

Marion shook her head, her voice rising slightly, "All due respect, but I don't trust you." Regina sighed in frustration but became distracted by Emma stepping away from her. Marion continued on, entirely too focused on her refusal to care about the blonde, "Or believe you. So, unless you plan on kidnapping me, I'm going to go find my family-UH." Marion's body started to collapse, and Regina caught her in time to slow her fall.

"Well, then, I guess we're kidnapping you," the Sheriff declared, chucking down the branch she'd just clubbed Marion with.

Regina lifted her eyebrows in impressed disbelief. The Savior was certainly full of surprises.

 **~SQ~**

"Aren't you supposed to be at the station, Sheriff?" Regina asked, her voice carrying over her shoulder to the blonde standing a few feet behind her. The brunette had just placed her order at Granny's when she'd sensed Emma walk in. Without turning, she'd known when Emma's eyes had landed on her and sensed the Sheriff hesitating a few feet behind her.

Clearing her throat, Emma stepped forward and claimed the barstool next to Regina. "Shouldn't you be at the Mayor's office?" Emma quipped back as she sat, trying to smooth over being caught awkwardly standing behind the Mayor.

"It's Saturday, my office is closed." Regina countered, voice flat. She glanced at the clock behind the counter, "You're shift started 20 minutes ago."

Emma nudged Regina's shoulder, "Keeping tabs on me?" The Mayor didn't deign to respond, just kept her eyes trained on the counter. Emma waited, but when the silence just stretched, she continued, "I mean, it was creepy when you had Sidney do it, but if you're taking up the task personally-"

Regina sighed, "You send the Mayor's office a signed copy of the shift schedules every month." She did her best to sound irritated, but she could feel the corner of her lips twitch as she fought a smile. For a moment, in the Sheriff's presence, Regina forgot why she had felt so defeated a few moments ago.

There was a teasing light in Emma's eyes, but after a moment they dimmed slightly and Emma said, "By the way, I heard that Marion got her heart back."

 _Right, that's the reason._ Regina closed her eyes against the wave of pain that resurged through her at the mention of Robin's wife.

Sensing the Mayor's hurt, the Sheriff added, "I won't push, but if you want to talk about it, I'm all ears."

The brunette was saved from having to answer by Ruby placing a paper bag and to-go coffee cup in front of the Savior. Regina finally turned her gaze to the Sheriff as the blonde thanked the waitress.

Regina quirked her eyebrow at Emma when the blonde turned back to face her. "You didn't order."

A few seconds ticked by before Emma reasoned, "I come here a lot. Ruby knows my order."

The brunette's eyes flicked to the paper cup as she hummed, "I see, although I'm fairly certain you don't usually take your order to go."

Emma took a sip from her coffee and shrugged. Regina's eyes narrowed at the Sheriff, "You do this every Saturday don't you."

Emma didn't even try to hide her smile as she answered, "Early Saturday morning shifts have to have some perks, like everyone being hung over from Friday, leaving the Sheriff time to get caffeinated."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Why do we pay for the Sheriff's department?"

Emma eyes widened into mock offence, "Hey, someone has to fight off all the evil snow monsters and keep Leroy off the streets when he gets drunk. After all that work, I definitely deserve a five-minute break."

This time, Regina couldn't stop the smile that lightly tugged on her lips as she skeptically clarified, "You're not even thirty minutes into your shift, and you deserve a coffee break?"

Emma gave a confident nod, "You never know when the next villain or magical monster thing will attack, gotta take a break when I can." Regina rolled her eyes and ignored the satisfied grin on the Sheriff's face. The blonde rose to her feet and stretched. With her paper bag in one hand and coffee in the other, Emma flashed Regina one last smile and said, "Well, I have to head to the station. My boss can be a real pain in the ass when she thinks I'm slacking."

The brunette's responding glare had the Sheriff lifting her hands and carefully backing away to the door, but the unabashed amusement dancing in Emma's eyes slightly marred the gesture.

Regina turned back towards the counter as the door swung shut behind the Sheriff, just in time for her order to be slid in front of her. Regina nodded to Ruby, who gave her a wink.

The Mayor turned her attention to her food but found that she had lost her appetite. Without Emma distracting her, Regina sunk back into the overwhelming disappointment that had sapped all her energy and prevented her from cooking breakfast that morning. She folded her arms on the counter and glared at her toast like it was the reason she and Robin couldn't be together.

She heard the door of the diner open again and again felt the prickle on the back of her neck that told her someone was watching her. However, this time it didn't have the familiar warmth that meant the Sheriff was nearby.

For a fleeting moment, she held onto the hope that whoever was looking at her was just a random person who was just intrigued by the Mayor being at Granny's by herself. But a moment later, she heard the chair next to her scrape as someone pulled it out and sat.

Regina scrunched her eyes closed and protested, "Please, I'd rather be alone."

She expected to hear Robin asking her to hear him out, but instead she heard a light female voice say, "I thought we should talk."

Regina whipped her head towards the voice, her jaw dropping slightly at the sight of the woman next to her. It was Marion.

 **~SQ~**

Regina's felt like little needles were poking through every inch of her heart. She'd started the day feeling awful, only to be lifted by false hope that was then viciously ripped away, sending the Mayor lower than she had felt at breakfast. Marion had actually given her blessing to Robin being with Regina. The Mayor was _finally_ going to get her happy ending, she was going to have the love she craved, but then it was all shattered. Marion had fallen victim to the residual side-effects of the frozen-heart curse, and she had to leave Storybrooke to escape the magic that was eating away at her. But, since the border was cursed, Marion couldn't come back, which meant that she needed to take her son, Roland, with her. And if Roland had to leave, despite how much he loved Regina, so did Robin.

The Mayor sighed as she shoved the door to Granny's open. She could still feel Robin's last kiss tingling on her lips, and it made her insides feel heavy. She glanced towards the back of the diner and saw the Sheriff leaning against the wall with the pirate leaning over her. Regina's prickling heart was suddenly in her throat. _And I thought I couldn't feel any worse._ Regina shook her head, trying to shake away the thought. There was no reason why seeing Emma with Hook should make her feel anything. However, as she cast another glance towards the pair in the back, she couldn't help but feel her anger at losing her happy ending with Robin begin to slip away, only to be replaced with a feeling of hopelessness.

Regina strode towards the counter and ordered a coffee. Once it arrived, she stared at it absently, her face slumped against her hand. She knew she was being pathetic, the once Evil Queen allowing herself to wallow in self-pity. She never wallowed, not when she was a child, not after Daniel, and not even after she killed her father. She distracted herself or took action, but this time she couldn't even find the strength to lift her head up. Her mother's voice whispered in her head, _Love is weakness._

Regina gently closed her eyes. She'd give herself one night, one night to let herself sink into the bitter pain gnawing at her. And then she'd pull herself back up like the queen she was; she just needed a night.

As soon as she settled on her plan, she sensed someone walk close behind her, and she flicked her eyes open. Glancing to the side, she saw the Sheriff settling into the chair next to her.

Regina sighed and lightly pushed her coffee away. "I'm not in the mood for a hope speech, Emma."

Emma didn't seem deterred in the slightest. "You're mistaking me for my mother." She answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "Besides, you don't need a speech, you need a drinking buddy." The blonde turned her head to look at the Mayor and asked, "Shots?"

Regina finally lifted her head from her hand and looked at the Savior. Seeing that the Sheriff was being completely serious, Regina shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

Emma smiled, caught the eye of the waitress behind the counter and held up two fingers, "Two."

Regina looked back at the counter but could feel Emma fidget and glance at her. A moment of silence passed as they waited for their shots, and then, as if she couldn't help herself, the blonde said, "You know you did the right thing today."

The Mayor's eyes widened as she looked at the Sheriff, "There it is, a hope speech." She huffed. "I thought we were drinking."

"It's not a speech. It's a compliment." Emma insisted.

"Well, I don't need your validation. I know I did the right thing." The Mayor shot back, without any bite. "I know, because I'm miserable." She sighed, "Again."

The shots were set in front of the, and Emma picked hers up, eyes on the counter. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, so is Gold."

Regina lifted her eyebrows, thinking back to earlier that day when the man had bragged about taking his happy ending. Now, picturing him being forced across the town line by Belle, she couldn't help but answer, "It does."

The women clinked glasses, but before they could drink, the diner door flew open and Henry was running to them. "Woah kid, slow down." Emma warned.

Breathless but beaming, Henry puffed, "Mom! Mom! I found something big. You're going to want to see this."

(Slight forward jump to the sorcerer's mansion)

Henry was leading his mothers up the interior stairs of the mansion. Panting slightly as they climbed, Henry explained, "No one's claimed this place, so I was looking around, and I found something." He reached the landing made a few turns, and then jogged to the end of a door-less hallway. Smugly smirking, he pulled a lamp bracket on the wall in front of him, and the sound of grinding gears instantly filled the hall, revealing a hidden doorway. The whole wall slowly made a ninety degree turn, displaying the secret room it disguised.

Regina's eyes swept the room as she stepped forward, taking in the hundreds of shelves around them, "A library!" The Mayor gasped.

Henry shook his head, his smile widening, "Not just any library. Look." He went to the nearest shelf and pulled down one of the identical brown leather books lining each wall.

"That looks like your book." Emma murmured, stepping towards her son.

Henry nodded, "Only it's blank." He gestured to the shelves around them, "They all are." He passed the book to his brunette mother, who immediately began to flip through it. She was sure she would sense a concealing spell on the book the second she touched it, but she was surprised and confused to find that the book really was just blank. Henry watched as she turned the pages and prompted, "And if this place is full of potential storybooks…"

A glowing smile slowly lit Regina's face as it clicked. "Then maybe this is the author's house," she whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

The Mayor's office door swung open, framing an unamused Sheriff. "You couldn't just _hand_ her back the painting?"

Regina smirked from where she sat at her desk, "I did your mother a favor. It was heinous."

Emma rolled her eyes and walked towards the Mayor, glancing towards the wall that once held the blue bird painting. All that remained of the offensive art was a lingering scent of smoke, and in its place was a picture of black dragon flies buzzing over a white background. Regina had only been back in her office for a day, but her first task had been to eradicate all traces of Snow White's décor from her office.

Regina went back to studying Henry's storybook, her face pinched in frustration as it had been before Emma appeared. The Sheriff heaved a bulging paper sack onto one of the chairs in front of the desk. The blonde began pawing through the bag, but the Mayor ignored her, sure she'd find out why the Sheriff was there soon enough. A few seconds ticked by, and then with a resounding smack, Emma plopped a container down on the Mayor's desk. "How do you feel about kale salad?"

Regina didn't glance up as she sassed, "Like someone found someplace other than Granny's for takeout."

"I'm fine with her grilled cheese, but I know it gets to you." Emma responded, unphased by Regina's jab.

The Mayor grinned and her eyes flicked to the Sheriff. "You eat like a child," she teased. She noted the strained expression on the blonde's face and her gaze snagged on the glass bottle Emma was attempting to wrest open. "Is that a root beer?"

"Two, I got you one," Emma proudly proclaimed, holding up the other bottle. "I thought you could use a break."

"A break from what? Dead end after dead end?" Regina groused. "This sorcerer, or author, or whatever he wants to be called doesn't want to be found."

"It's only been a few weeks," Emma tried to soothe.

"Exactly, and I've conquered entire realms in less time." Regina growled.

Emma held up one of the root beers, "Can you conquer these bottles? I thought they were twist offs." The Sheriff glanced around and headed towards a cabinet near the door, clearly hoping to find something to aide her mission.

Regina raised her eyebrows, "Do I look like I can pry them off with my teeth?" Emma looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at the Mayor. "I'm a queen and a bit more refined," Regina insisted.

Emma pulled open a drawer and called, "Yeah, I got that," her voice oozing sarcasm. Regina smiled at the Sheriff's back before she returned her attention to the pages in front of her. Emma closed the drawer and muttered, "My mom had a bottle opener here during her brief tenure, somewhere." The blonde walked over to another cabinet.

Noticing where the Sheriff was headed, the brunette shot to her feet and shouted, "Wait, don't!" But it was too late, and Emma pulled open the drawer. Regina could see the Sheriff's head tilt as she stared at the drawer she'd just opened. The Mayor sighed, knowing what the blonde saw, a taped storybook picture of her kissing Robin. She felt her whole body stiffen as Emma picked up the fragile paper.

The Sheriff turned, and for the smallest moment, Regina thought she saw the shadow of irritation on the blonde's face. But she blinked, and Emma's expression was purely confused. Emma's eyes were glued to the page as she asked, "What's this?" She took a few steps towards the Mayor, "Did you find it in the book?"

Regina sighed, "It's not from the book." She felt embarrassed and pained at the memory, but continued, "Robin found it… before he left with his family. It appeared to him."

Regina carefully watched Emma's face as the blonde continued to stare at the page. The Sheriff's forehead was furrowed, and the ex-Evil Queen couldn't place what it was, but there was something odd about Emma's expression. "It's not your story. What is it?" the Sheriff asked.

The Mayor shook her head, and Emma looked up at her. There was something in that gaze that she'd seen before, just never on the Sheriff. Before she could fully comprehend it, she shoved it to the side. She would revisit it when Emma wasn't standing in front of her, holding the damn page that breaks the brunette's heart every time she sees it.

Regina cleared her throat and answered, "Robin thought it was hope. A sign that," she took a shaky breath, "things would work out for me." The brunette could feel her eyes starting to burn, but she refused to give into her tears. "Turns out it was just a cruel joke," she finished, her voice wobbling slightly.

Emma traced the corner of the paper with her thumb, seeming torn. Hesitantly, Emma asked, "Have you heard from him."

"No." Regina's voice cracked on the simple word. Her knees were threatening to fail, and the Mayor had to quickly retake her seat.

The Sheriff's eyes softened, but before she could respond, Hook and Belle came rushing in through the open office door. Leading the way, Hook excitedly burst, "There may be a way to get the fairies out!"

 ***Two Hours Later***

Regina was back in her office, alone. She was just supposed to be collecting a few things before heading to Granny's. A party to celebrate the fairies return would be starting in a few minutes, and she was expected to attend. There was just something nagging at the back of her mind that kept her from grabbing her things and heading over to the diner. It was the memory of Emma's face when she'd first looked at Regina after finding the storybook page. Reflecting back on it, the Mayor realized it hadn't been irritation in the blonde's eyes but something similar.

 **~SQ** ~

"We need a ship, we're short on time, and his time in the Enchanted Forest was a blur of rum, revenge, and women. It'll be fine." Regina insisted. She and Emma were seated near the entrance of a tavern. Both of the women had their eyes trained on the dark-haired pirate seated at the back of the establishment, but while Regina's gaze was determined, Emma's was full of doubt.

"You said the Evil Queen couldn't see me because it might trigger her to remember me from the future. Won't the same thing happen with Hook?"

The Mayor rolled her eyes, "The difference is, I was sober. If you triggered a future memory for me, I would have assumed you were a trick from Snow White, then captured and tormented you until you cracked. Hook," She nodded her head in the pirate's direction, "was hardly ever sober, and he certainly isn't sober right now. He'll blame any memories on the rum."

Emma shrugged, clearly not having any better ideas, "Alright, how long do you need me to distract him."

"As long as possible. I'll disguise myself as him, get Snow to go after the ring, and then come back as soon as I can."

The Sheriff nodded and stood up, her hand moving to the top of her corset, undoing several of the top laces to reveal even more cleavage. Regina shot up and grabbed her wrist, "What the hell are you doing," the Mayor whisper shouted.

Emma looked at her in surprise, "I'm making sure he stays occupied."

"I said distract him, not-" Regina gestured to Emma's partially opened shirt, " _occupy_ him."

Emma actually had the nerve to snicker at the ex-Evil Queen's scandalized face. "Regina, I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

The Sheriff moved to step around the table and towards Hook, but Regina swiftly moved to stand in her path. "Emma, the Hook you know trails after you like a lost puppy. That is not who is sitting at that table. That is the villainous, swashbuckling pirate that only cares about himself."

Emma lifted an eyebrow, "Swashbuckling?"

The Mayor gave Emma the glare that used to send entire towns scattering before her, "This is not a game," she growled.

Emma schooled her expression and nodded, "You're right, and if you would move, we would be even closer to getting out of here and fixing the future."

Regina huffed but stood to the side, allowing Emma to pass. The Mayor made her way to the exit, feeling something hot rolling through her blood even though she didn't have a name for it. That is, until she stood facing the Savior below deck on the Jolly Roger an hour later.

Still disguised as the pirate, Regina's eyes practically doubled in size when she saw the blonde stumble down the stairs. She could hear the real Captain Hook above deck, talking to one of his cronies. Trying to keep her voice down, Regina hissed, "What are you doing here? I told you to keep him distracted."

"I am!" Emma averred.

"By bringing him back to his ship?" Regina's voice was rising, and the blonde had to make shushing gestures towards her.

"Do you want him to hear us?" Emma groaned. She glanced over her shoulder, checking for signs of an approaching pirate and then turned back to face the disguised queen. "I thought you'd be gone by now! I'll keep him above deck while you-" But she was stopped mid-sentence by the sound of approaching footsteps. Regina had just enough time to duck behind the captain's desk before the real Hook came stumbling down the stairs.

Crouched so she couldn't be seen, Regina could hear the pirate husk, "And where are you going? I do hope you're not having second thoughts."

Emma's voice dropped into a sultry murmur as she responded, "No, I just got tired of waiting."

Even before Regina stood up, she could feel the same hot feeling from when she left Emma at the tavern. But when she started her way towards the stairs to make her escape, the sight of Emma and the pirate locked in a heated embrace set the Mayor's blood boiling.

She knew she should just leave, could see the Sheriff's wide eyes peeking over Hook's shoulder, urging her to do so. But before she could force her feet to move another step towards the stairs, she heard Hook whisper, "My apologies, a woman as beautiful as you deserves my full and prompt attention."

Regina couldn't control her actions as she closed the distance between her and the couple and yanked Hook's shoulder back. He spun on the spot, but before he could get his bearings, the ex-Evil Queen had cocked her arm back and punched the pirate in the face. He collapsed in a heap, and Emma gasped in surprise.

"Regina!" The Sheriff cried, "Are you kidding me? How is that not going to have consequences?"

Regina shook out her hand, still glaring at the unconscious captain. "He deserved it," she growled, completely unapologetic. "I doubt he'll remember anything, and even if he did, he'd blame the rum."

Obviously not satisfied, the Sheriff pressed, "How the hell can you be sure?"

"We have a long history," the Mayor grumbled. "Let's go." She gestured for Emma to take the stairs out first. With a last baffled look at Regina, the Sheriff led the way off the ship.

 **~SQ~**

Right before Regina spun Hook around, she had caught a brief glimpse of herself in a mirror on the wall. It was Hook's face, but she still recognized her expression. She'd seen it on herself often enough when she was queen and when Emma first came to Storybrooke that she would recognize it in any disguise she wore. It was the face of jealousy. However, what was currently bothering the Mayor wasn't that _she_ had been jealous, but that she could've sworn that the shadow that had crossed Emma's face when she found the page was the same that crossed hers when she saw Emma kissing Hook.

 _But Emma couldn't be jealous. Emma has never expressed the slightest interest in me._ Regina had been every bit as seductive as she'd been evil when she was queen, and she'd prided herself on being able to know when someone found her attractive and using that to her advantage. Surely, she would have picked up on Emma flirting with her. Of course, she'd noticed the times Emma had looked at her ass when she turned around, even on the night of their first meeting, but that hadn't necessarily meant anything. Most people did notice her ass at some point, usually soon after meeting her.

But the Mayor would have noticed if Emma felt real attraction for her. She would have used it against the blonde when they were fighting over Henry. Sure, they'd had some heated arguments where they more often than not invaded each other's personal space, but those were all fueled by anger and dominance, not physical attraction or the need to be close to each other…

Regina's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her office door, and she turned in time to watch it swing open. The Sheriff stood in doorway with an amused smirk. "Am I interrupting your brooding?"

The Mayor scowled at the blonde. "I do not brood, Miss Swan."

Emma's eyes swept over the brunette, and Regina looked down. Realizing her arms were folded across her chest and her hip was cocked to the side, a pose reminiscent of the Evil Queen, Regina straightened her posture. "I was thinking."

The Sheriff lifted her eyebrows in a sure-you-were look, and Regina tried not to glare like a petulant teenager.

Emma grinned, "Well, if you're done _thinking,_ you're going to make us late to the party." Regina rolled her eyes but walked over to the coat rack in the corner and put on her jacket. "Don't forget the book. You can ask Blue about it," the Sheriff added.

"I was going to get it," Regina huffed. Once her coat was on, the Mayor held out her hands, and one of the blank storybooks appeared in a swirl of purple smoke.

Clearly satisfied that the Mayor had everything, Emma stepped out of the doorway and joked, "After you, your Majesty." And hearing her title come from Emma's lips did not stir the butterflies in the brunette's stomach that she thought had died with Daniel. At least, that's what she told herself as she ignored the warm feeling gathering slightly lower than her stomach.


	6. Chapter 6

_She's okay, she's okay, she's okay_ Regina kept chanting to herself. She was standing at the town line, and Emma was getting out of her yellow car a few yards in front of her. Even at a distance, Regina's eyes were inspecting every inch of the Sheriff as she stood, looking for traces of blood or any sign of injury. Less than thirty seconds ago, a Chernabog, which had interrupted the party at Granny's, had been clutching onto the roof of Emma's car with one hand while the other was punched straight through the Sheriff's windshield, attempting to shred the blonde with its talons.

Emma and Regina had been racing for the town line with the Chernabog in tow. The demon was supposed to pursue the heart with the greatest potential for darkness. Their plan had been to get the creature over the town line, but even with the marked town line in sight, Regina knew they wouldn't make it. She was the one the creature was after, so she poofed herself out of the car, centimeters from the town line. The beast was supposed to notice its prey had escaped. It was supposed to leap off the car and onto the unprotected queen, but it didn't. Regina's heart was drumming in her ears and pure adrenaline was racing through her veins as she watched the creature still attempting to break open the vehicle. Moments ago, she'd been terrified, but watching as the creature attacked Emma, her fear vanished. She lifted her arms and shouted, drawing the creature's attention. Thankfully Emma had capitalized on that distraction, floored the gas pedal, and hit the breaks so quickly the creature was wrenched off the car and shot past the town line, disintegrating in the land without magic.

Without consciously commanding them to do so, Regina found her feet quickly carrying her over to the Sheriff. Her hands were trailing over the Sheriff's sides, her arms, gently prodding here and there, checking that the blonde really was uninjured.

"Regina," Emma gently said, capturing one of the Mayor wrists and placing a hand over the one lightly cupping her face. Reluctantly, Regina tore her eyes from her inspection to meet the Savior's gaze. "I'm fine," the Sheriff assured.

Regina could feel Emma rubbing soothing circles on the inside of her wrist. And after holding the Sheriff's earnest gaze for a few moments, the Mayor decided to accept that Emma was uninjured. The women stood like that a bit longer, and Regina became aware that she was brushing light stokes along Emma's cheek bone with her thumb. Her fingers twitched to pull away, but she kept them where they were, noting the Sheriff hadn't made any attempt to move away from her.

In fact, was it Regina's imagination or was the space between her and Emma shrinking? She didn't remember moving forward, but now she could feel Emma's breath against her lips. And she could swear that Emma's head had tilted and was inching closer, like the Sheriff might close that little gap between her lips and Regina's, that gap that seemed much to large to the Mayor.

But then a car door slammed, and the two women jumped apart. Facing the direction the noise had come from, Regina saw the Charmings running towards them. Emma shook her head a little dazedly as she also turned towards her parents. As soon as the Sheriff was in front of Snow and Charming, they made sure Emma was fine, and then launched into arguing against allowing villains into Storybrooke.

 _What?_

The warm little bubble she'd been wrapped up in with Emma effectively popped, Regina was momentarily confused until she remembered _Right, the sea bitch and Cruella._ Regina looked over her shoulder at the two villains standing just passed the town line. They'd helped her and Emma save the town from the Chernabog, in exchange for the Mayor allowing them into Storybrooke. Half of her had anticipated that the villains' information would lead them into more trouble, but it had actually been useful. That's certainly not what Regina would have done as the Evil Queen.

Awash in her thoughts, Regina forgot the others were standing around her until she felt a light squeeze on her hand. Looking down, she saw that the Sheriff's hand was connected to hers, and then she finally noticed Emma, Snow, and David were looking at her expectantly.

"What?"

Snow furrowed her eyebrows, but Emma was the one that asked, "What do you think about letting Cruella and Ursula in?"

The Mayor sighed, her eyes once again straying to the villains just outside the town. "They're horrible." David nodded his head in agreement with Regina's assessment as if that settled it, but Emma and Snow kept their eyes trained on the EX-Evil Queen. The Mayor looked back at the small pack of Charmings, "But not as horrible as I once was. If I deserve a second chance, so do they."

The Sheriff bit her lip and locked eyes with the Mayor. She nodded once at the brunette, looked at her parents and shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I agree with Regina." The blonde held out the scroll that allows people to cross into Storybrooke out to the Mayor.

Regina accepted it and turned to face the villains, ignoring the apprehension she could feel oozing from Charming and Snow. She held the scroll out to her side. She hesitated for a brief moment, inwardly sighed _I better not regret this_ , and then tossed the scroll across the town line.

The villains had eagerly grabbed the scroll and driven into Storybrooke. Somehow, Regina didn't find Cruella's and Ursula's devilishly delighted grins reassuring. However, the decision had been made, and she wouldn't question herself. She was a hero. It was the right thing to do.

However, she was questioning how she and the Savior had ended up tucked into a booth together at Granny's. One moment, Henry had been sitting across from them, insisting he needed an entire side for himself and the storybook he was examining, but the second his mothers had settled in, the teen had jumped up and claimed he would work better at the counter. But when his mothers started to move, Henry had practically yelled, "No!" Placing a hand on his blonde mother's shoulder to prevent her from leaving the booth, he cleared his throat and in a calmer voice said, "I mean, you guys are already settled, and it's easier to concentrate by myself."

Regina eyed her son suspiciously, but Emma responded, "Okay, Kid." As Henry took a seat at the counter, the Mayor lifted an eyebrow at the Sheriff. "What? He says he'll work better if we stay here, and we both want him to find the author so…" Emma trailed off, clearly expecting Regina to interject with a sassy retort. Regina just rolled her eyes and flagged Ruby down, ordering three hot chocolates.

After the drinks had been placed onto their table, Regina picked hers up and took a small sip. She'd never admit it, but she did enjoy the drink almost as much as Henry and Emma.

"Regina?"

Regina turned towards Emma at the sound of her name. The blonde's torso was twisted so she was facing the brunette, but her eyes were trained on the table in front of her. Regina arched an eyebrow at the Sheriff's unusually demure attitude. "Yes?"

Emma cleared her throat, squared her shoulders, and dragged her eyes back up to meet the Mayor's bemused gaze. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the bell above the entrance announced a new patron. Regina's gaze flicked to the newcomer and was unsurprised to see Hook striding towards their table. He never seemed to be far from Emma for long. The closer the pirate got, the more Regina had to remind herself not to grind her teeth together.

He gave a curt nod and quick, "Mayor" to Regina, but then he looked at Emma, and his face split into a cheeky grin. "Swan," he greeted, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Hey," Emma nodded back. When Hook moved to take the seat across from them, Emma quickly intervened, "Wait, Killian, could you give us a minute? I need to talk to Regina"

Killian looked a little taken aback and more than a little put out, but he nodded and jerked his head towards Henry. "Of course, I'll go say hello to the lad."

The Mayor felt her irritation growing as Hook cast a last wistful glance at Emma before trudging over to the counter. She sighed, "You really need to make a decision about him."

"What?" The Sheriff was looking at the Mayor but clearly not on the same page.

Regina rolled her eyes, "The pirate, Emma. He pines after you so much, he could be mistaken for the Enchanted Forest."

Emma gave her an odd look, "I haven't shown any interest in him." Regina arched an eyebrow at the Sheriff, who relented, "Alright, I kissed him once, but I told him it didn't mean anything."

"Mhm, and have you told him there isn't a chance of a repeat performance."

The Sheriff was starting to blush, "I haven't told him that exactly."

The Mayor shook her head, "He'll keep pursuing you until you tell him he has no chance and mean it."

Emma looked mildly offended, "I meant it in when I told him our kiss didn't mean anything."

Regina scoffed, "Telling him a kiss doesn't mean anything and telling him there is no chance of you two dating are two completely separate things."

Emma huffed and mumbled something unintelligible under her breath, making Regina forget some of her irritation. She laughed lightly, and asked, "Did you want to tell me something, dear?"

"Oh um," Emma's expression quickly shifted from mildly annoyed to conflicted. She was gazing intensely at Regina, like she was on the edge of speech, but then she shook her head, and muttered, "Uh, no… I don't."

The Mayor lifted an eyebrow at the blonde, "So, you sent Hook away to tell me you have nothing to say?"

The Sheriff nervously ran a hand through her hair. "I do, just not yet." Her voice came out gentle, almost shy but with a note of determination.

Regina checked the clock on the wall, "Well, if you're sure, I have an appointment to attend."

Was the Mayor mistaken, or did Emma look disappointed? The sheriff was certainly frowning, "What appointment do you have this late?"

Regina shooed Emma out of the booth and teased, "Jealous, dear?"

The Sheriff shifted her feet uncomfortably, as the Mayor stood. "No, just wondering what could drag you away from Henry."

Regina lifted an eyebrow. "Mhm," she hummed as she pulled her coat on, feeling fairly confident she'd touched a nerve with Emma. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sheriff," she grinned.

She stepped around the blonde to say goodbye to Henry, but Emma called after her, "Wait, you didn't answer my question."

"I'm aware," Regina called back. She kissed Henry on the cheek, nodded at Hook, and then turned back towards the door. She shot Emma her best mischievous smile, before engulfing herself in purple smoke. She reappeared on a muddy road, her nose scrunching at the squelching mud underneath her shoes. She conjured an umbrella and opened it above her head as she approached the headlights of the waiting car. She stopped when she saw a figure emerge from the vehicle and waited for the person to come closer.

When the other person came to a halt in front of her, Regina flicked her hair out of her face. "Care to tell me why I'm meeting you in the middle of nowhere?"

Snow took a deep breath, then slowly explained, "Maleficent's back."

Regina's eyes squeezed shut in resigned agitation, "I should have known fish sticks and pound puppy were here for more than a second chance." she growled.

Snow was nervously eyeing Regina. The Mayor stared back with a curious expression, sensing that Snow's anxiety were stemming from more than just the dragon's resurrection. "Regina you once asked me-" Snow stopped herself, like the words burned. "Regina you once asked me to keep a secret… and I couldn't." _Daniel_. Regina waited for the flash of heartbreak that rushed through her every time her first love was mentioned, but instead she just felt a soft ache in her chest. Snow continued in a whisper, "But I'm going to ask you to keep one for me, one Emma can never learn."

Regina's head tilted to one side, considering the person who had once broken her trust and indirectly crushed her first love's heart. She knew Snow wouldn't ask, wouldn't dare to bring up Daniel, unless this was of the utmost importance. Regina's face slipped into a neutral politician's mask as she took a step towards Snow. With a settling breath, she asked, "What is it?"

 **Next Chapter the villains are coming, and we're switching to Emma's perspective, exciting things.**


	7. Chapter 7

Regina was taking powerful strides down the sidewalk, dressed from head to toe in black. The staccato of her heals against the sidewalk sounded every bit as sure and measured as it had when she was queen. Three years of trying to be better, to atone for her past sins, and it was almost disappointing how easily she slipped back into her Evil Queen person.

She came to a halt, just for a moment, right in front of the path that led to Granny's door. It was late, but the diner's interior was blazing against the other darkened shops lining the street. Regina knew they were inside, the pack of villains currently threatening her town.

Regina felt her bravado falter for a flicker of a moment, the words _This is a bad idea,_ pushing unbidden into her mind. But she was quick to shove the thought aside and yank her mask back into place. She'd agreed to this plan, and she would make it work. She had to. So, with every bit of regal bearing her mother had drilled into her, Regina stormed up the short path and threw open the diner door.

 **~SQ~**

" _You really need to make a decision about him."_

Emma had tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep. Regina's words from the diner kept echoing in her mind, keeping her awake. Why was that one comment bothering her so much? She had no idea. It could have been that she knew Regina was right. She needed to either give Killian a real chance or cut him loose. Or, maybe it was because she couldn't help but feel the Mayor wanted Emma to stop stringing Killian along for reasons other than sparing the pirate. She could still feel the heat from Regina's body as the brunette seemed to unconsciously, possessively slide closer to her when Killian walked into the room. Or, maybe the Sheriff had been awake for so long, she was reading into actions that hadn't meant anything.

Emma gave a frustrated sigh and checked her alarm clock. 5:49 AM glowed back at her, two minutes later than the last time she'd checked. _God damn it._ The Sheriff flipped the clovers back and turned on her lamp. After rifling through her closet for a moment, she pulled out workout clothes and quickly changed into them. She grabbed her iPod, put on some angry music, and jogged out of the apartment.

 **~SQ~**

Regina had made a mistake by saving them from a train. It had been a ridiculous game she wouldn't have even entertained the idea of playing as the Evil Queen. But pointing that out wouldn't help her infiltrate the little group of villains. However, unlocking Granny's with her magic and helping to drain away all the alcohol stashed away in the diner seemed to be garnering her points. She hadn't consumed so much liquor in one night in a long time and was sorely tempted to vanish a glass or two instead of drinking it. If she did that though, Maleficent would sense it in a heartbeat. The dragon was acting casual, like testing Regina was the simplest task. But Regina could feel Maleficent's intense focus trained on her. Regina could also sense that faint, daring challenge coming from Maleficent that she used to love to meet.

At the moment, the dragon's gaze was inviting the Mayor to step forward and take aim at the already charred sheriff department's cruiser. _This is a safety hazard_ , Regina inwardly noted. She and the three villains were all inebriated to some extent and playing with fire begged for disaster or injury. But Regina still dutifully stepped up next to Maleficent and allowed her palm to fill with fire. She felt Maleficent's eyes running over her as she aimed at the patrol car. Even tipsy, Regina hit her target with unerring accuracy, and her strike was the one that finally ignited the gas tank. The Mayor didn't flinch when it exploded but smirked when the unsuspecting Cruella and Ursula ducked. She turned to Maleficent, who also hadn't startled at the explosion, and found her old friend gazing at her approvingly.

It reminded her of times when they had bene alone in Maleficent's castle. When stolen touches during the day had thrilled her as acts of rebellion against her husband, the king. Only now, she didn't feel the need to cover anticipating shivers with teasing indifference, because there weren't any shivers. Apparently, as much as the Mayor may try to ignore it, there was only one blonde that could affect Regina with a look, and that blonde had green eyes, not blue.

 **~SQ~**

Emma had run all over Storybrooke only to end up pacing restlessly in front of the Mayor's door. She paused in front of the door for the fourth time and lifted her hand to knock, but the Savior ultimately dropped her hand with a frustrated sigh as she had every other time she'd tried to knock. Half of Emma wanted to bust down the door and confess the tangled feelings she had for Regina, but the other half of Emma, the half that was winning, was terrified that Regina would reject her and was begging the Sheriff to run far away from the Mayor's door.

 _What if I'm wrong? What if I misread the signs at the diner?_ Emma had learned a long time ago to not get too close to people. She made an exception for Henry and her parents, but letting anyone else in, like she was considering with Regina, had always ended with her getting hurt, badly. It was an especially risky decision to make with Regina, of all people. They were getting along so well, but Emma could easily mess that up if her feelings weren't returned. Regina had a tendency to shut down and push people away as much as Emma had a tendency to run. What if she opened herself up to Regina, and the Mayor pushed her away? Emma would rather have her friendship with the brunette than nothing at all.

 _No, I'm not going to do it. I finally have a family, and I'm not risking that._ Emma thought determinedly. She turned and began to walk away from the door, only to come to a stop on the bottom step of Regina's porch. She looked back over her shoulder at the door. Emma groaned and sunk down to sit on the mansion's steps. She had promised Regina a happy ending, and what if she could be a part of that? Emma was always quick to discredit the possibility of someone actually wanting her, like she was trying to do about her interactions with Regina last night. But Emma had felt like Regina might be interested in her romantically more than once. Especially when they'd been in the past Enchanted Forest together, Regina had gotten so jealous over Hook and held her so close when they went to the ball together…

 **~SQ~**

"I just don't get the big deal about going to a ball. Mary Margret and David are always going on about them, but everyone's just standing around and talking." Emma whispered to the brunette next to her.

Regina had rolled her eyes and grabbed Emma's hand, leading her to the farther end of the room. "You're forgetting that this is the Enchanted Forest. There are no electronics to entertain yourself with, and most of your neighbors, especially for royalty, lived far away. Parties like these were one of the best sources of entertainment."

"If you say so," Emma skeptically muttered.

The dryness of the Sheriff's tone made Regina smile, "Wait until you've seen all of it to make your final judgments, Miss Swan."

Emma groaned, "Why are we back to Miss Swan? I was just getting used to you calling me Emma."

The Sheriff could hear the Mayor chuckle as they came to a stop at the edge of the crowd. "Well Emma," Regina drawled, stretching her name, "What do you think of the party now?" Though it wasn't marked, they were clearly standing on the fringe of the dance floor. The Sheriff watched as several couples twirled around the open space and couldn't help but be impressed when all the men simultaneously lifted their partners off the ground and spun them in a circle. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the dancers' coordinated movements. Regina was watching the blonde and seemed pleased by her reaction.

The music ended, and everyone began to clap. Emma was startled out of her trance and added her belated applause. The band twiddled with their instruments for a moment while some couples left the dance floor and others joined it. The Sheriff's attention drifted back to the Mayor, and she finally realized the brunette had been watching her. Feeling a little self-conscience, Emma defensively asked, "What?"

Regina softly shook her head and tugged Emma's hand again, this time leading her all the way onto the dance floor. The Sheriff began to protest, "Wait, Regina. I don't know how to dance like this."

The Mayor was, of course, unperturbed by Emma's apprehension, "Well then it's lucky for you that I _do_ know how to dance like this." Regina guided Emma's left hands up to her shoulder, laced Emma's right hand with her left, and then placed her right hand on the blonde's hip just as the music began to fill the room. The Mayor took a confident step forward, and the Sheriff allowed herself to be smoothly guided through the first few movements.

Soon, Emma had memorized the simple steps and felt a smile sneak over her lips. Regina gave her an approving nod. "It would appear you're a natural," Regina complimented.

Emma's smile broadened. "You're a surprisingly good teacher."

Regina scoffed, "I'm a queen. This is a waltz. Of course, I'm good."

Emma chuckled as they continued to spin around the dance floor. After a few moments of just enjoying the experience, Emma looked directly into Regina's eyes again. By the sparkle behind the brunette's gaze, the Sheriff knew Regina was having almost as much fun as she was. Emma felt her heart soften slightly, and she murmured, "Thank you," to the brunette.

Regina seemed to sense that there was a lot of feeling behind those two words, as the Mayor's gaze became more tender than Emma had ever seen. The brunette cleared her throat and responded, "If it hadn't been for me, you would have grown up going to events like these. The least I could do is teach you how to dance a waltz." Emma heard the apology behind the admittance, and she returned the Mayor's soft smile.

The dancing kept them fairly close, and Emma could swear she'd caught Regina's eyes glancing at her lips as she continued to lead them around the dance floor. The Sheriff felt that sizzling energy awaken between them, and when Regina locked eyes with hers again, she was sure the brunette was about to kiss her. But then the Evil Queen had thrown the entrance doors wide open, and the pair had quickly been swept back into trying to rectify the past.

 **~SQ~**

Emma was still confident that Regina had been seconds away from kissing her. And maybe it had been the heat of a moment for Regina, but in the cold morning light, Emma still wanted the Mayor. And if Regina had been about to kiss her, then clearly the Sheriff's feelings were returned at least to some degree. Emma clenched and unclenched her hands before standing. She'd made her decision. If she wasn't willing to take a risk for Regina, she didn't deserve her.

The Sheriff faced the door again but didn't step closer. Emma Swan didn't half-ass anything (except paperwork), and she wasn't about to start. Not when she had so much to lose. So, she stared hard at the door, and promised herself that she would be back later that day, promised herself that this time she wouldn't run. Then she turned and walked back towards the street. Emma wasn't running, but she had some errands to run before she faced the Mayor.

Robin made a mistake in letting Regina go. But if the Mayor said yes to Emma, she sure as hell wouldn't be making the same mistake. And the Sheriff was going to prove it.

 **~SQ~**

It was very late, or rather early. Regina felt like her head was threatening to split in two. Her body felt sluggish as she finally ushered the other women out of her vault. She wanted nothing more than to sink into her bed for a few hours but forced herself to keep up the façade that she had enjoyed the long night of binge drinking and arson. Regina caught the way Maleficent brushed against her as the villains drunkenly filed their way up the steps out of the vault and fought the temptation to roll her eyes.

Her body slumped against the door as she sealed it behind Maleficent. She'd done it. The Mayor had gotten a foothold amongst the villains' group, and she knew they would come back to her soon. Now all she had to do was wait.

So, Regina gathered herself together, and transported herself to the hidden bedroom she had inside the crypt. It wasn't ideal, but her tired body gratefully sunk into the plush mattress. Spying on the villains was exhausting, but she made a promise and she had to follow through, for her family which, through some twisted turn of events, included the Savior and Snow White.

Regina thought of the blonde Sheriff as she began to drift off. Emma had a knack for dancing on Regina's nerves, possessed Snow's apparently genetic never-know-when-to-back-down disposition, and consistently ignored the simplest of instructions. Yet Regina knew she was helping to overthrow the villains for Emma's sake as much as she was for Henry's. _Fate has a warped sense of humor,_ was Regina's last coherent before succumbing to sleep.

 **~SQ~**

Emma's foot was on the stairs leading up to the apartment when she saw her parents were coming down. "Hey," she called up to them. _Oh God, I have to tell them I have a thing for Regina._ She sighed as she watched her parents come closer, _Well, it probably won't be worse than telling Killian was._ The pirate had taken the news that Emma had no intention of dating him in morose silence, looking at her like she'd stomped on his dreams. Even though they'd never officially been together, and Emma knew they never would be, she still felt bad that Killian was hurting.

Her parents finally reached her and were smiling brightly, though they both looked surprised… and maybe a little guilty. _That can't be right_ , Emma reasoned.

"You're up early," David noted.

Emma shrugged, "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a run."

Snow pointed towards the door Emma had just come through, "David and I are going to run and grab breakfast while Henry watches Neil for a few minutes. Do you want anything?"

Emma shook her head, "No thanks, I have to shower, and then I'm going over to Regina's." Emma took a deep breath and was about to tell her parents that she would need to talk to them when she got back, but then she saw Snow and David glanced at each other and then quickly look away. Emma knew something was off. "What's wrong?"

Snow leaned her weight onto one leg as she said, "Regina's not home right now."

Emma was confused. It was Sunday, and there was no way it was passed nine. How would her parents know whether Regina was at home or not? When neither of her parents elaborated, Emma prodded, "Where is she then?"

This time it was David who spoke up, "She's on a mission."

Emma's felt like her blood temperature had dropped. "What mission?" Irritation clearly cutting into her tone.

David was trying to seem unconcerned as he answered, "Regina's undercover with the villains."

Emma felt her heart plummet before shouting, "What the hell do you mean she's undercover with the villains!?"


	8. Chapter 8

**So, it's ten years later than I promised, but here's the update!**

"I'm telling you, these things never end well!" Emma was frustrated and trying her best to talk Regina out of keeping up the undercover villain thing. Regina, Emma, and her parents were all meeting in the library, and her parents were absolutely no help, standing unusually quiet by her side.

Regina's tone was firm as she met Emma's gaze and said, "I understand your concern, but I'm in."

 _No, you don't. You don't understand what I would lose if something happened to you._ It was on the tip of Emma's tongue, but she couldn't say that. Not in that moment. She was already risking major rejection by mentioning her feelings. She sure as hell wasn't going to voice them then, when she was sure she'd get shot down. Instead Emma stared down the brown eyes boring into her and insisted, "Okay, well, then I'm in too."

Regina looked taken aback. "What?"

Ready for a fight, Emma squared her shoulders, "I'm gonna stick by you. I'm gonna get your back while you do this."

The Mayor growled, "No. It's too dangerous."

Undeterred, Emma pressed, "I said I'm a part of operation Mongoose. I am a part of it. You wanted my help – now you're gonna get it. No matter what it means for both of us." Regina looked like she was prepared to throw Emma down the library's elevator shaft to keep her away from the villains, and the Sherriff's parents still looked like deer caught in headlights. But Emma wouldn't be persuaded. She'd been taunted with almost having a family her entire life, and she'd be damned before she let another one pass her by, certainly not without a fight.

 **~SQ~**

It hadn't even been twelve hours since the library before Emma was standing in Marco's garage. Pinocchio and Marco were passed out on the floor, and Regina was being a stubborn ass. Emma wanted them to take Pinocchio, who the villains were after, and hide him someplace safe, but the Mayor of the freaking town was determined to play along with the villains kidnapping scheme. "I know you think I'm in over my head, but I've got this! You don't know them like I do."

Frustrated, terrified, and more than ready to punch the dragon waiting outside in the face, the Sheriff whisper-yelled, "Then enlighten me, because ever since the villains came to town, my superpower has been going haywire, like everyone, including my own parents, is keeping something from me."

Regina stared at the floor for a long moment, before meeting the Sheriff's eyes again. "Emma, do you trust me?"

Emma felt herself deflating as her anger dissipated under the ex-Evil Queen's stare. "Yes, I trust you," she sighed.

"Then trust that I won't let anything happen to the boy."

 _You didn't answer me._ Emma's superpower may have been less than reliable lately, but she didn't need it to read Regina. The Mayor was avoiding the Sheriff's borderline accusation of being lied to, and they both knew it. But there was that glint in Regina's eye that told Emma to go with it, and maybe it was stupid, but Emma nodded. She turned towards the door, only to whip back around and promise, "I see anything I don't like, and I _will_ come in blazing."

Ten minutes later, Emma jogged out of Marco's workshop to find Regina's blackberry, the one with Emma's only means of tracking the Mayor, laying on the pavement. _Damn it, Regina._

 **~SQ~**

Regina was finally back at Emma's apartment. Pinocchio (somehow turned back to August) was resting on the couch with Henry watching over him. Emma was standing in the kitchen with the Mayor, enjoying the rare moment of peace… Peace may be a strong word, but at least she got to have Regina in sight and out of danger for a few minutes before the brunette would have to go back out to meet the villains. The stolen minutes were passed with Emma making tea, and Regina worrying over a dream she'd had about Robin a few nights ago. Emma agreed to help the Mayor get in contact with the bandit, even though she felt a twinge of jealousy. But it was for Robin's safety, and Emma really would rather help the brunette hunt down her ex than have her dangerously infiltrating the villains' group.

At least they were starting to close in on the author, and once they had whoever that was, Regina wouldn't need to be undercover anymore. Then, hopefully, Emma could have enough time with the brunette to ask her out before the next threat came crashing into Storybrooke.

 **~SQ~**

Emma was staring dejectedly at an archived newsreel in the library. It had been about a week since Regina had been at her apartment, and in that time, Emma had killed Cruella. She'd done it to save a kidnapped Henry, but it was still the move Rumpelstiltskin had wanted her to make. He wanted the Sheriff to go dark, and even though she'd taken the first step down that path, Emma couldn't let that happen. Which meant she needed to stop being angry at her parents for lying to her for so long and forcing Emma's potential darkness onto another innocent child. Unfortunately, the Sheriff's forgiveness was unlikely to come anytime soon. In fact, a little less than an hour ago, she was about to storm out of Granny's and go chasing the Dark One down on a reckless one woman mission, despite her parents, Regina, Henry, and even Hook telling her it was a bad idea to go after Gold when she was that upset. She really hadn't cared how unwise the decision was. She just needed a bad guy to take all her feelings of betrayal and anger out on. But right before she was about to leave to go hunt Rumpelstiltskin, Maleficent had waltzed into the diner and offered to team up with the good guys in exchange for Emma's help finding her daughter, the one Emma's parents had cursed and accidentally banished to Massachusetts.

That was what led to Emma being slouched in a dark corner, staring at the projection of a birth announcement for Lilith Page. The only friend the Sheriff had, even for a short time, while she was growing up. Her only friend growing up and apparently Maleficent's missing daughter. Emma glared at the screen for a long time, struggling to accept the undeniable and unwanted information about her old friend.

That was where Regina found the Sheriff. The brunette had appeared out of nowhere and interrupted the blonde's thoughts in that smoky voice with a blunt, "Isn't fate a bitch?" Emma startled at the Mayor's sudden appearance, but then rolled her eyes and went back to staring at the picture. She was frustrated with Regina as well, even though it wasn't really the Mayor's fault, and she probably didn't even realize she had made Emma's bad mood worse earlier. Earlier when a slow smile had crossed the brunette's lips, full of undisguised pride and affection, as Maleficent announced her defection to the good side. Emma wasn't normally jealous in a relationship, especially when she wasn't even dating the person yet, but that smile Emma saw was usually reserved for her and Henry exclusively. The Sheriff knew she had no right to the jealousy that had zinged through her, as she had no real claim on Regina. But she couldn't help wondering how the hell had Maleficent earned a look like that and if she soon wouldn't be the only one trying to win Regina over.

Luckily, the Mayor didn't seem to notice the Sheriff's distraction and just said, "You know this girl. How?" The Mayor sounded faintly amused, and Emma had to fight the urge to roll her eyes again as she was torn from her thoughts.

"She was my friend," Emma muttered, a lifelong self-consciousness about her past sneaking over her.

Regina's smile dropped slightly, and she moved to lean against the desk in front of the Sheriff. "Oh, the one you told me about. Who you said you pushed away?"

Emma ignored the question, "How is this possible. Of all the kids in the world, the one I end up friends with is the one my parents banished."

Regina was to the point as she explained, "Emma, there are powers beyond our understanding, and your parents messed with them."

Still staring at the picture of Lily, Emma murmured, "So, the only friend I ever had wasn't even my friend by choice."

Regina looked from Emma to the floor, "I know. It hurts, doesn't' it." There was no pity in the Mayor's tone. She looked back at the Sheriff, "I've been there, too."

Emma looked up at Regina, a tinge of surprise breaking through the fog of emotion invading her senses, "Yeah?"

Regina chuckled, "You think it was a coincidence that I just so happened to adopt the Savior's son?" The Mayor looked at the baby's picture behind her, "Our actions are our own, but fate pushes us. Maybe it's time to push back."

Emma eyed Regina, unsure of where the conversation was headed, "How?"

"Well, I have to go to New York to rescue Robin from my insane sister, and you have to find this girl to redeem your parents. _And_ show Gold he's wrong about you—that he can't change you." Regina smiled softly at Emma, "What do you say we help each other?"

Emma knew Regina had been planning to go rescue Robin for the last few days but kept getting delayed. And maybe a long, uninterrupted car ride would have been a good time to discuss the possibility of the two women dating but not when the car ride was to save Regina's ex and Emma's ex-best friend. So, feeling somewhat defeated by all the new developments rocking Storybrooke that kept preventing her from her much-needed discussion with Regina, and the fact that Robin may soon be back in Regina's life, Emma scoffed, "What, like a road trip?"

Regina shrugged, "Well, if that's what you want to call it."

Emma looked down at her lap, thinking Regina was just taking pity on her, "I'm okay, Regina. I don't need a babysitter."

Regina gazed at the Sheriff for a moment, before softly saying, "But maybe I need you." Emma couldn't fight the urge to look up at the Mayor's soft tone. "You lived in New York," Regina continued, meeting Emma's stare. "I've barely been outside of Storybrooke." The brunette flashed her that challenging smile that used to rile the Sheriff before the original curse broke, "How about it, Swan? How about we make today the day we _both_ beat fate?" And for whatever reason, whatever made Regina so hard to resist, especially when she looked at Emma like that, Emma agreed.

 **~SQ~**

 _Oh God, I've made a mistake. Shit. Shit. Shit. I should've told her._ Emma was standing in a hallway with Lily, while Regina pounded on Robin's New York apartment door. The blonde had been too mixed up in everything going on in Storybrooke and finding Lily and now Regina was about to break down a door to get back to Robin, and the Sheriff hadn't told Regina that she had feelings for her. She should have damned the consequences and told Regina on the way to Lily's, or on the way to Robin's, or any freaking time after coming back from the time portal. But the Sheriff had been scared and held back, and now it was too late, because Robin was opening the door, and Regina was hugging him, and the Savior missed her chance. She'd hesitated, and now Regina was literally back in the arms of her soulmate.

(A pregnancy reveal and several hours later)

Emma kept glancing in the rearview mirror. She was driving her bug with Lily riding shotgun and an apparently pregnant Zelena in the back. Regina was driving a rented minivan behind her with Robin and Roland like their own little family, and every time the blond caught sight of them, her hands tightened on the steering wheel. Their little caravan line made it back to Storybrooke, and Emma made sure Lily met Maleficent while Regina locked up Zelena.

Afterwards, Emma really didn't want to go back to her parents' place, but she also didn't want to go to Regina's, where her and Robin were undoubtably, happily locked away together. So instead she found herself wandering around Storybrooke and eventually ended up standing in front of the Mayor's crypt. The place always creeped the Sheriff out, but for some reason, she found herself walking towards it. The door easily swung open under the Sheriff's hand. The secret entrance to the stairs was already revealed, so Emma descended the stairs and hesitantly called out, "Regina?"

"In here," came Regina's voice from deep inside the vault. Emma found the Mayor nestled into a chair, sipping what looked like the brunette's famed apple cider. The Sheriff stood in the archway, nervously toeing the wall with her boot, unsure of whether the brunette wanted company. After taking a drink, Regina waved her hand and another chair and full glass appeared on the table next to the Mayor. _Guess that answers that question._ Emma walked all the way in and slumped into the open chair, gratefully grabbing the glass Regina conjured for her and downing a few swallows.

"It's been a long day," Emma muttered.

The corner of Regina's mouth twitched, "That's one way to put it."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Emma sighed and admitted, "I patched things up with my parents."

Regina's eyebrows lifted, "That was faster than I expected. I'm happy for you."

Emma shrugged, "Lily turned into a dragon and almost roasted them alive. It kind of made me realize that life is too short. I have my family, and while I'm still not okay with what they did to Lily, I'm not going to push them away for it."

Regina nodded, not seeming at all surprised that her friend's daughter could also turn into a dragon. They slipped into a few more quiet moments, filled only with the soft clink of ice against glass. This time it was Regina who broke the silence, "I found the Author," she murmured.

Emma jolted upright, "What? Regina that's great! Where is he?" The blonde looked around the vault, half-expecting the Author to jump out from a hidden doorway.

Regina sighed, "He's with Gold."

Emma's head whipped back towards the Mayor, "What? Why are we just sitting here? Let's go get him." Emma moved to stand up, but Regina placed a hand on her arm.

"They have everything they need to re-write our stories, but they haven't yet. If we go running after them, we may force them into acting quicker."

The Sheriff looked at the Mayor in disbelief, "So you're just giving up?"

Regina's hand not holding her glass snuck up to wrap around the back of her own neck, gently working the tight muscles. "No," the Mayor said, "I'm not giving up, but it's late. And everyone's probably asleep by now. Rumple and that little Author twit can wait until tomorrow."

Emma thought about arguing for a second, but then relaxed back into her chair. Regina had a point. They needed a plan, and Gold had the advantage with the author ready and waiting to rewrite their lives. But the Sheriff couldn't help but wonder, if the Mayor wasn't down here to devise a plan, why wasn't she curled up with Robin somewhere. Not that Emma was complaining, but the brunette had been so focused on getting Robin back, Emma couldn't imagine why Regina wouldn't be making up for the many weeks she'd spent apart from him.

After a few quiet seconds of watching Regina trace the edge of her glass with a finger, clearly absorbed in whatever she was thinking, Emma offered, "Penny for your thoughts."

Regina's eyes flicked over to meet Emma's, but the Mayor's finger continued its path on the glass. "My thoughts are more than a penny, Miss Swan." Emma didn't drop the brunette's gaze and just waited patiently. "Fine," Regina huffed, "I'm conflicted."

"About what?"

Regina arched an eyebrow at Emma, like she expected the Sheriff to already know the answer. When Emma remained oblivious, Regina simply answered, "Robin."

 _Oh,_ the Sheriff hadn't really been expecting that to be the answer and felt a little balloon of hope swell in her chest, but she wasn't ready to acknowledge it yet. Instead, Emma focused on the reason she needed to get a handle on her slightly escalated heartbeat. "I thought you and Robin were soulmates."

"That was a long time ago," Regina murmured before taking a drink of her cider.

Emma sat up straighter in her chair, "I thought soulmates were perfect matches for each other or something."

"Perhaps," Regina's voice was low, and her eyes were trained on the wall across from her, though she didn't seem to really see it. "But I've have changed more than most in the years since then."

Emma tried not to fidget as she took in the new development. _I thought I was too late._ Emma had really thought she'd missed her chance with Regina today. Watching the Mayor be wrapped into a tight embrace by Robin had felt like a swift blow to the stomach. And Emma really did want the brunette to be happy, but if there was a chance that Regina could be happy with her instead of Robin… Emma took a settling breath. She had to try. So, hoping she was ready for the answer, Emma asked, "Do you love him?"

The Mayor was quiet for a moment as she thought. Finally, she answered, "I could, given time."

Emma nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. She still had a chance. Feeling lighter than she had all day, she nudged, "Regina-" Deep brown eyes focused on the Sheriff, but she couldn't seem to force any other words out. _Come on Swan, it's now or never._ "Regina, is there another reason you don't want to be with Robin?" _Coward!_ Emma inwardly hissed. She'd meant to be open with the Mayor, not toe around her feelings.

"I never said I don't _want_ to be with Robin." Regina murmured. The brunette took another drink, and her tone was dryer as she added, "And I'm assuming you mean a reason other than him impregnating Zelena."

Emma nodded even as she shifted uncomfortably. Her eyes had dropped to her lap, but when Regina didn't respond and the silence encasing the vault felt like it was pressing in on them, Emma chanced a glance up. The Mayor was focused on the Sheriff, and there was something different in the brunette's gaze that had Emma fighting the urge to squirm. It was a soft look but tinged with too much understanding for Emma to take, and the Savior suddenly found herself standing and restlessly pacing.

"Regina, I-" Unrestrained fear was making the words stick in her throat, and Emma could feel herself starting to panic. Just as the Sheriff's reflexes were kicking in and she was about to make an excuse to bolt up the stairs, she felt a gentle but insistent hand tugging her to a halt. Regina was standing in Emma's pacing path and brought a gentle hand up to hold the Sheriff's chin between her thumb and forefinger, effectively forcing the blonde to look at her.

Regina's eyes were smoldering, but her voice was soft and a touch unsure, "Emma, do you have a reason I shouldn't be with Robin?"

Emma swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry, "Yeah, I do."

Regina's grip on the Sheriff's chin shifted so that instead of holding the Sheriff's face still, her hand slid up to cup the Savior's cheek and lightly stroke her thumb over Emma's cheek bone. "And what would that be, Miss Swan?"

There wasn't very much space between the two women to begin with, and Emma, having never been one for words, found herself leaning forward and closing the small gap between herself and the Mayor. Pink lips brushed red, and the world seemed to still for a moment. Emma was about to pull away, but Regina shifted forward to continue the kiss. Bolstered by Regina's response, Emma's hands slid to the Mayor's hips and she felt Regina's hand tighten on her bicep, pulling her impossibly closer to the brunette. After what could have been a few seconds or several hours, Emma finally broke away panting and leaned her forehead against the Mayor's. Clinging to the confidence she got from the kiss, Emma husked, "Will you go on a date with me?"

A tender smile broke across Regina's face, though she looked a little surprised at the question. "You want to take me on a date?" Emma nodded. Regina's eyes roved over Emma's face, and she must have found something she approved of, because she pressed another kiss, this one much more chaste than their last, to the Savior's lips. "Okay," she agreed.

And even though there was yet another villain threatening Storybrooke, one that would require the Sheriff's full attention tomorrow, the Savior couldn't seem to feel worried with Regina finally in her arms and her body still thrumming with the heat of their first kiss.

 **Worth the wait? I'm already working on the next chapter and hoping to have it posted next week.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey y'all! Sorry about the wait (It is a long ass chapter though) and thank you to gamilton for reminding me I was very far behind in updating. Also, there's some textbook cliché lines in here, but all the fanfics I've read recently have been angsty and I needed fluff. So please know, I regret nothing. (Not to imply that this isn't also angsty as hell. It's why there's clichés lol.) Lastly, an ellipsis signifies a change in perspective.**

As seemed to be the theme of Regina's story, when everything seemed to finally be going right for the brunette, life took a sharp left turn. She went from kissing Emma in her vault, with the promise of a date in the near future, to being trapped in Isaac's twisted alternate universe. If it hadn't been for Henry becoming the new Author and writing them back to their own world, Regina would have bled to death in that godforsaken place. And almost dying when you can't even remember who you really are… well, it was disconcerting to say the least. So, that experience combined with all the other twists and turns Storybrooke had thrown at her over the last several weeks left Regina wanting nothing more than to rest in her own home for a few hours with Henry under her roof and maybe even Emma as well.

Was Regina able to do that? Of course not.

No, instead of the Mayor taking a well-deserved nap in Egyptian Cotton sheets with an almost ridiculous thread count, Regina had stood in the middle of Main Street, frantically scanning for any sign of _the_ Darkness. The Darkness which not only made the Dark One powerful but also helped form the Evil Queen so many years ago. It had somehow come untethered from Rumpelstiltskin, leaving her with Snow, David, Emma, Hook, and Robin Hood to try and hunt it down.

Unfortunately, what Regina had foolishly forgotten after so many years was that her legendary ability to hold a grudge was a learned trait. The Darkness, which had consumed Regina for the majority of her life, was one of the few who could hold a grudge better than herself. And Regina had committed the one unforgivable crime against the Darkness, turned her back on it and gone to the light.

So, it shouldn't have been surprising when the Darkness singled her out from amongst the heroes, swathed her in the middle of it, and dragged her away from the others. Once it had her separated, it released its physical grasp in favor of circling her in an impenetrable cyclone. She watched as Robin attempted to break through it, only to be violently flung away. In that moment, it didn't matter that it had been years since she had embraced the Darkness, the intimate connection she'd shared with it couldn't be erased by time. Regina could feel it as it circled her, feel it savoring the moment. She knew it wanted nothing more than to snuff the light out of her, drain it all away until there wasn't a shred of love or hope left in her, until she was only left with the hate she'd tried so hard to free herself from. All her work would have been for nothing. And the Darkness could have done it the second it grabbed her, but it was taking its time. Not just to relish the excitement of being seconds away from resurrecting the Evil Queen but so Regina would have time to realize her fate. Realize it and know there was nothing she or anyone could do to stop it.

Part of the Mayor was terrified, for herself and what this would mean for the family she'd somehow become a part of, but she was a Queen and would be to the very end. She wouldn't panic or beg, mostly because she would rather die than give the Darkness the satisfaction. Instead, Regina braced herself, thanked whatever fate had intervened to ensure Henry wouldn't have to watch, and allowed herself one last look at Emma Swan.

Brown eyes locked with green, and the composure that so readily appeared in the face of death fled the Mayor. Her heart felt like it had jumped into her throat, because Emma wasn't looking at her like she was scared or angry. No, the Savior met Regina's eyes, and all the Mayor could see was steely resolve and Emma's hand tightening on the Dark One dagger. It took all Regina had to snarl, "No!" around the lump forming in her throat, but Emma ignored the ex-Evil Queen, just as Regina knew the infuriating blonde would. The Sheriff had run forward, spewing some nonsense about Regina having worked too hard to have her happiness destroyed, and then like the brave idiot she was, Emma thrust the Dark One dagger into the cyclone around the Mayor. The brunette was left with no choice but to watch as the Darkness left her to surround Emma, watch as the Darkness became tethered to Emma's soul. Regina hadn't felt so helpless since her mother ripped Daniel's heart out of his chest. And then suddenly Emma was gone, taken to wherever the Darkness had started. All that was left of the Savior was the Dark One dagger she'd been clutching. It clanged to the ground, bearing "Emma Swan" across the blade.

There were a few seconds of pounding silence and then Regina burst, "How could she be so stupid!?"

"Regina!" David barked.

But the Mayor was far from censured, "Well there had to be another way!"

Snow's voice was rough as she stared at the spot where her daughter had disappeared. "There wasn't. That thing was going to kill you!" Then her head whipped towards Regina, "She saved your life."

"Don't you think I know that," Regina snapped. She glared at the Dark One dagger, the light seeming to mockingly glint off the "Emma Swan" scrawled in the middle. Regina spun towards the other end of the street, unable to look at the dagger any longer. _Impulsive, overconfident, stubborn Charming genes. Always rushing in without a plan or thought of self-preservation. Idiot!_ She inwardly hissed.Despite her anger, Regina faintly heard an out of breath Sheriff candidate puff," _Really? You're complaining about how I saved you?"_

The ghost of a smile the memory brought to Regina's lips was almost instantly wiped away by the sight of Henry running up the street, stopping only when he was close enough to read the name on the Dark One dagger. Regina took a deep breath, attempting to pull herself together for Henry's sake.

But before she could mentally settle herself into that calm place where she was nearly unshakable, she felt a hand on her elbow. The touch was light and unassuming, but Regina had been so absorbed in her own thoughts she startled and almost singed the hand as she spun around with the fireball that reflexively appeared in her palm. She caught sight of David's wide eyes as he held up his hands in a don't-attack-me-I'm-trying-to-help gesture, and the Mayor somewhat guiltily extinguished the flame. _So much for being unshakable_ , Regina internally grumbled.

David lowered his hands and visibly relaxed as the flame vanished, and Regina wrapped her arms around herself. Regina waited for him to say something, but all David did was furrow his eyebrows and stare at her, looking exactly like Emma when she met yet another fairytale character she hadn't thought really existed. Still feeling on edge and rather impatient, Regina prompted, "David?"

"Hm? Oh right," David cleared his throat, "I just wanted to say that we're going to find Emma, don't worry. If there's one thing this family can do, it's find each other." Regina blinked at David for a moment, realizing after a few seconds that he was attempting to reassure her. Which was… unexpected and made her feel not uncomfortable but definitely out of place. Unsure of what to say, Regina dipped her head into a nod. It appeared to be an acceptable response since charming nodded back and clapped a hand on her shoulder as he walked back to stand next to Snow.

Regina dug her fingers into her sides for a moment, watching as Henry spoke with his grandparents and some of the other heroes littered around Storybrooke began to converge on the scene. This wasn't new. The whirl of strategizing and preparing to tackle whatever disaster had landed in her town or whisked away someone she cared about. She was well practiced in these scenarios. Only, this time she wouldn't have Emma by her side. That reality weighed heavily on the Mayor for a few seconds before she was able to shove it into a tightly locked drawer where it couldn't distract her. Emma needed Regina to find her, so she would. Afterall, Regina was nothing if not stubbornly determined. She had cursed an entire realm to avenge her first love, with no possibility of ever getting him back. Emma was very much alive and only a realm out of reach. So, even if it made her as idiotic as Emma for saving her, Regina was more than willing to hunt down the Darkness that had consumed her for years, if it meant saving her Sheriff.

 **~SQ~**

Regina had spent a large portion of her life hunting Snow White, hounding the younger woman's every move through the Enchanted Forest and slaughtering anyone that dared to stand in the Evil Queen's path to revenge. Yet, now, watching her past self approach a bound Snow White, Regina felt a sickeningly hot pain in her stomach. She was rapidly creating and dismissing half-formed ideas of how to save her ex-nemesis. Regina had to save Snow, because if something happened to the younger brunette… Regina's eyes flickered to Emma. _No, I can fix this dammit._ But the Mayor's cool, analytical brain was awash in panic, and she couldn't come up with a single feasible plan in her hazy desperation.

The Evil Queen's palm filled with fire, and Regina froze. _No! I need more time!_ But the Queen was already throwing the flame to light the pyre Snow White was tied to. Regina tore her eyes away as the flame touched the kindling around Snow. They landed on Emma's tear stained face, and Regina really thought she might be sick as she realized she wouldn't be able to stop what came next. Emma's legs began to give, and Regina caught her, terrified of the moment the blonde would disappear from her arms and out of existence. She clutched Emma to her tighter, sure that any second would be the last she would be able to touch her. But Emma remained solid in her grasp, and the Sheriff's tears continued to spill down Regina's neck. Regina chanced a glance back at the pyre and found it burning brightly. There was no way Snow White could have survived that, but Emma was still alive. And if Emma was alive…

Regina ducked her head, so her lips were pressed against Emma's ear as she whispered, "She's alive, Emma. Your mother's still alive." She felt the Sheriff jerk in surprise and attempt to look at her, but the Mayor held the blonde firmly in place. She made sure Charming, Ruby and the woman they'd saved from the cells weren't paying them any attention before continuing, "I don't know how it's possible, but you're still here. Snow has to be alive." Regina could practically hear the questions buzzing in Emma's head, but they couldn't discuss anything with an audience nearby. With her lips still close enough to brush Emma's ear, Regina whispered, "Later, we'll find her. I promise. But we can't let on to the others that we know." As the words were leaving her mouth, Regina knew Emma would want to argue. She could feel the tension filling the Sheriff as she prepared to do just that. "Trust me, Emma." Regina didn't know if she meant it as an order or a plea, but she felt the blonde relax back into her arms and give a short nod.

Later, when night had descended and just before Snow White appeared in bug form, Regina sat around a fire with the other four. She was silently rationalizing her earlier, rare moment of pure panic. _It was only because of Henry_ , she soothed herself. If something happened to Snow before she had Emma, Henry would never be born. Afterall, Regina could count the number of times she'd been truly gripped by fear on one hand. And excluding Daniel's death, all those moments centered around her son. _Yes. That makes sense. It was just because of Henry._ Never mind that Regina could barely form a coherent thought earlier or that "Not Emma" had been a desperate chant in the back of her mind as she watched the Queen stride towards Snow. It was all because of Henry. There was no other possible explanation.

…

The new Dark One had materialized in the Enchanted Forest, disoriented and stuck with some fake version of Rumpelstiltskin trying to train her into accepting her new dark powers. Of course, Emma hadn't surrendered to the new darkness tied to her soul. Not really. But somewhere along the line of meeting Merida, someone the Sheriff probably would have liked in any other situation, and competing with the redhead for a little blue ghost thing her Dark One tutor told her she needed, Emma may have gotten dangerously close to crossing a few lines. On the other hand, Merida's beating heart loosely clenched in Emma's fist may imply that the Savior had already brushed a toe over the line. Possibly.

Okay, she may have definitely crossed a line, but that kind of thing was hard to recognize in the heat of the moment with your weird, new darkness teacher (who for whatever reason looked like Gold) egging you on. Of course, when she was about to do something very stupid, like crush the heart in her hand, that was when a familiar voice rang out, "Emma. Stop."

Emma's head whipped towards the sound of the voice that couldn't be there, her hand reflexively loosening a fraction on the glowing heart in her palm. Green eyes met brown and Emma felt her jaw drop at the sight of Regina standing in the clearing, the rest of her family jogging to catch up. Bewildered and beginning to tingle with panic, Emma stuttered, "Wha- how-"

Regina's gaze was blazing as she answered, "I'll explain as soon as you put that heart back, Emma." It wasn't a command, but Emma's fingertips twitched to obey. Then her grip tightened around the heart to make-up for her second of leniency, and Emma couldn't tell if it was her or the Darkness that was responsible for the action. Emma felt her shoulders tense as Henry, her parents, and a few other Storybrooke people finally entered the clearing. Emma knew she needed to explain. "You don't know what's happening." The blonde whispered. "This is the only way to find Merlin. He's the only one who can stop the Darkness."

From behind Emma, Gold or whatever her Dark One teacher was impatiently ordered. "Quite right. Crush it."

Emma's eyes dropped to the heart in her hand, unable to look at her family anymore. But she felt her resolve strengthening and her voice came out firmer as she said, "This is the only way to protect all of you."

Regina didn't seem to understand or at least wasn't done arguing, "But to stop the Darkness you're going to let it consume you." The brunette's voice was pure steel, and Emma looked back towards her. She needed Regina to understand.

Emma looked straight into brown eyes and tried to keep her voice level, "You don't know that." The Mayor arched an eyebrow, giving the Sheriff a brief flashback of Regina with longer hair and wearing a snug dress with a plunging neckline. _Right, the Evil Queen thing_.

Before Emma could respond, Snow pulled out the Dark One dagger. "We're not going to take that chance."

Emma's hard gaze landed on the dagger just as a hand reached out and was lightly placed over Snow's. Regina's voice lost its edge as she murmured, "You can't. It has to be Emma's decision."

Emma looked back at the heart in her hand and heard Gold calmly urge, "Don't listen to them. They don't understand what's at stake."

Emma's feet shifted slightly as she repeated Gold, "You don't understand what's at stake. If I don't find Merlin, the Darkness will destroy all of you."

Snow let the hand with the dagger drop back to her side and pleadingly whispered, "Emma-"

Hot tears began to fill the Savior's eyes as she cut her mother off, "The Dark One destroys everything near it. Look at Gold, I can't do that to my family."

Emma couldn't keep her eyes from flickering to Regina's, silently begging her to realize this was the only way. The brunette's gaze was unwavering, but her voice was soft and more understanding than Emma could have ever expected, "I was never the Dark One, Emma. But I've stood with a heart in my hand and Rumple at my shoulder telling me to crush it. I made the wrong choice, and if you do the same, if you crush that heart, you'll only be enabling the Darkness. You'll be the one threatening to tear our family apart."

Three endless seconds ticked by. Three seconds where Emma caught sight of the scaly green that was beginning to overtake her fingertips. Three seconds in which the Darkness entwined around her soul told her it was for the best, told her to squeeze till her hand held nothing but ash. Three seconds where she could feel her family holding their breath. Three seconds of brown eyes boring into her, challenging her to be the Savior instead of the Dark One. Three seconds and then Emma's hand slammed back into Merida's chest, returning the redhead's heart.

Merida gasped and doubled over as Emma felt her knees begin to buckle. The Sheriff would have collapsed into the dirt if it weren't for Regina lunging forward to catch her. Warm arms wrapped around her waist, while she buried her face against Regina's neck. And for a moment, just after making the right choice and falling into Regina's arms, Emma felt the Darkness recede slightly. She felt like herself. With the pressure of the Darkness lessened even marginally, relief flowed though Emma so heavily that she didn't stop to think about her actions as she pulled back enough to connect her lips with Regina's.

It wasn't hot and needy like their first kiss, just warm and sweet. But despite the comparatively chaste nature of this kiss, Emma felt her arms erupt in goosebumps and a warmth starting in her chest and spreading throughout the rest of her body. One of the women softly moaned into the kiss, neither Regina nor Emma would ever know which of them it came from, and one of Emma's hands dropped to Regina's waist while the other reached up to cup the brunette's face. The Sheriff was tilting her head to deepen the kiss when Regina suddenly broke away from her, taking two large steps back. Emma was left a little dazed from the intensity of the kiss but attempted to focus on her surroundings enough to figure out why Regina had pulled away. Finally processing that they had an audience who was previously very unaware of Emma's recent change in relationship with Regina. _Right._

Emma ducked her head and attempted to smile at Regina, but the brunette's eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes unfocused. The Sheriff took a step towards the Mayor, but the shorter woman stumbled back a step and muttered some rushed excuse as she darted away from the Savior. Emma tramped down on the feelings of rejection that automatically surfaced at Regina's retreat. She was probably just embarrassed to be seen kissing Emma in front of Snow and Charming. Not to mention their grinning son, who was now pulling Emma into a warm hug. The Sheriff hugged him back and finally noticed that her hands had lost their green tint. Glancing around the clearing, she also noted that Gold had vanished. She could still feel the Darkness lurking inside her, but it seemed dormant for the moment. _Well, looks like doing the right thing helps tame this thing._

Emma was right of course, but if she'd been paying better attention, she may have noticed sooner that only Gold disappeared when she returned Merida's heart. It took something more powerful to make the scaly green fade from her hands.

…

After they'd made it into Camelot and King Arthur had left them to their own devices, Regina left Zelena to be babysat by Granny and her crossbow. The Mayor needed to be alone and away from confused green eyes that hadn't left her since the they'd started towards Camelot. So, Regina cornered the first guard she'd found and had him show her to her room, where she'd been pacing for the last thirty minutes.

Unfortunately, solitude wasn't helping calm the Mayor. If anything, it was making the brunette more agitated as she inwardly insisted, _I have to be mistaken._ But Regina couldn't even lie convincingly to herself. She _knew_ magic. She knew the way it felt, the way it crackled through the air, and she knew it had surrounded her and Emma earlier. It just didn't make any sense.

A confident knock drew Regina out of her thoughts. The brunette felt a fleeting sense of dread, thinking the Savior had tracked her down in record time. She had no idea what she was going to tell the Sheriff to explain her behavior earlier, but it appeared she would just have to think on her feet. Regina quickly ran her fingers through her hair and then pressed her hands against her abdomen, settling herself. "Enter," she called, pleased that her voice came out smooth and unaffected by the emotions churning just under her skin. However, instead of blonde hair and confused, green eyes, Regina was met with Snow White. Snow White who was closing the door and standing uncharacteristically silent.

Something cold felt like it was trickling down Regina's spine as she met Snow's stare, drawing her own conclusions on why Snow would feel the need to track her down. _Of course, I should have expected this._ Regina cleared her throat, "I assume you're upset about what happened earlier." After a few agonizing seconds of silence where Snow just continued to stare at the Mayor, Regina continued, "Given my past and our history, I imagine I'm not who you would have picked for your daughter." Snow just continued to look impassively at the older brunette, and it was putting Regina on edge. She'd given Snow two openings, when usually the woman would just power through whatever grievances or hope speeches she had planned without an invitation. "Snow?"

Snow's head tilted slightly and there was a hint of something in the younger woman's eyes. If Regina didn't know any better, she'd say it seemed like Snow was concerned for her former stepmother. "How are you?"

Regina blinked in surprise but recovered quickly, "I'm fine. Why?"

Still oddly reserved, Snow seemed to hesitate for a second before striding towards Regina and lightly taking the older woman's hand. The Mayor quirked an eyebrow but allowed the gesture. Afterall, she had just kissed the woman's daughter.

Snow seemed to steal herself, squeezed Regina's hand, and then murmured, "That was True Love's kiss with Emma wasn't it."

Regina jerked her hand back and glared at Snow. "Don't be ridiculous," Regina growled.

Still aggravatingly patient, Snow pressed, "Regina, I saw Emma's hands."

"Congratulations, maybe if you ask nicely you can see her elbows as well."

Snow sighed, dropping the neutrality act. The younger woman even had the gall to eye Regina like she was a child throwing a tantrum. The Mayor clenched her fists at her sides, and Snow crossed her arms and drummed her fingers as the pair stared each other down. Snow looked away first, and Regina would forever deny feeling a juvenile spark of victory over the action. However, the nonexistent spark vanished as Snow sat on the edge of Regina's bed and patted the spot next to her. The Mayor leveled Snow with a look that very clearly expressed there wasn't a chance in hell of Regina having a heart-to-heart.

"Regina, please? I don't mind that you and Emma are together. Honestly, I'm surprised you two have kept it hidden from everyone for so long."

That comment made Regina's eyebrows shoot up on her forehead, "What? Emma and I only discussed the _possibility_ of a relationship two days ago."

"Oh." Snow's blinked a few times before her eyes widened, "Oh! So, you aren't- you haven't- you didn't know?"

Regina rolled her eyes. _Damn this woman, and her incessant- wait,_ "How long have you been under the impression that I'm dating Emma?"

"I thought you two made it official when you got back from Zelena's time portal and just wanted to keep it to yourselves for a little bit."

With a probably insulting level of disbelief, Regina asked "You thought I've been dating your daughter for six months and haven't said anything?"

Snow gave the Mayor a sad smile, "I didn't want to meddle. I just want you and Emma to be happy."

Regina eyed the younger brunette, then slowly stepped forward and took the seat next to Snow White. Grudgingly, the Mayor murmured, "Thank you… I'm sure that wasn't easy." The unspoken "for you" was implied, but at least Regina managed to refrain from saying it out loud.

Snow gave Regina a small smile but didn't say anything. The Mayor knew Snow was trying to not pry and allow her to lead the conversation. Regina just didn't know what to say. What could she say?

After few heavy minutes, Snow couldn't help herself anymore, "Was it? True Love's kiss I mean."

Regina shook her head, "It's only been two days." It wasn't a confirmation or a denial, and Regina knew Snow would see through it in a second. However, instead of pressing, Snow was again silent.

Regina rolled her eyes as she realized Emma's propensity for loud thinking was apparently genetic. Sighing, the Mayor ordered, "Just say it, Snow."

Snow hesitated, and then gently said, "But it hasn't really been two days, has it?"

Regina sighed, "I wasn't lying to you earlier, Snow. Emma and I really haven't been dating."

"That's not what I meant," Snow quickly countered. The Mayor lifted an eyebrow in silent question, and Snow clarified, "Maybe you haven't been dating, but," the younger woman hesitated again, "haven't you ever felt like there was something between you and Emma before two days ago?"

"You mean besides Henry and an inherited, several decades old blood feud." Snow didn't look particularly amused by the Mayor's deflection. Regina huffed under her breath but still carefully considered an actual response. "While trapped in the past with Emma, I may have, occasionally, been somewhat… attracted to her." There was a brief pause and then Regina added "Even though she somehow managed to forget and promptly disobey every rule I gave her."

Snow's mildly irritated expression dissolved into a soft smile as she pressed, "What about before the time portal?"

Regina scoffed, "Do you mean while I was actively trying to chase Emma out of my town, while I was attempting to rescue my son from his teenage great-grandfather, or while Emma was busy flirting with the pirate and I was dealing with my insane sister." Snow's smile didn't falter in the slightest, if anything, it seemed to get warmer. "No, I didn't have feelings for her before that. I hated Emma, and just after we grudgingly began working together, I started dating Robin."

Snow took Regina's hand again, "I'm not saying it was love at first sight, but you two were in each other's heads from the start. Besides Henry, you're the only person Emma keeps running towards instead of away from. And yes, initially, part of that was because of Henry, but think about it. She's fought more villains and monsters than I can count, yet I only came home to her tearing apart appliances after she got in a fight with you. She was extremely worried when you went undercover with the villains. And-" Snow's face clouded over with confusion, "And she was also oddly interested in your past with Maleficent."

Snow cocked her head, and Regina could practically see the cogs turning in Snow's mind. Thankfully Snow didn't ask about Mal. Regina was fairly certain she couldn't handle discussing more than one of her romantic relationships with Snow in a day. Instead Snow lightly shook her head and plowed on, "So maybe it wasn't love at first, but you've always seemed to make Emma feel the most. And Regina, keeping in mind that I've known you longer than any other person in Storybrooke, I think she makes you feel the most too. Maybe that's what happens when True Loves start as enemies."

Regina squeezed the bridge of her nose with her free hand, "Passionately hating each other doesn't equate to star-crossed True Loves, dear."

Snow took a deep breath and gave the Mayor a half smile, "Regina, you hated me for years." The statement wasn't accusatory or harsh, just fact. "Not once, in all our time of fighting, did you look at me like you look at Emma or stand as close to me as you do to Emma… And we lived together for a long time." Regina was about to interrupt, but Snow pressed on first, "You two haven't even disliked each other for a long time. It took me till after Neverland to realize it, but the intensity between you two never died down. You still gravitate towards each other. And maybe it took you until two days ago to realize it, but I've seen the way you look at Emma. The way you've looked at her for a long time."

Regina gently tugged her hand back from Snow and began to massage her temples. "How are you okay with this? I've tried to kill you and Charming, and my curse cost you Emma's childhood."

Snow was unflinching as she said, "You did, and I'll admit it was strange at first to realize the Evil Queen was falling for my daughter."

Regina slowly dropped her hands into her lap and hesitantly asked, "But?"

Snow smiled at her again, "But a few days after I realized you were in love with Emma, we had the séance. And I already knew you weren't evil anymore, but that's when it really hit me that you really are a hero, _not_ the Evil Queen." There was a moment's pause where Regina felt strangely touched by the words, and then Snow did an odd bounce and added, "Oh, Charming only noticed how you felt yesterday when Emma became the Dark One, but he's okay with it too." At Regina's skeptical look, Snow qualified, "He'll probably need a little bit to adjust, but he already said that if you two love each other, you'll probably come the closest to loving and protecting Emma like she deserves."

Before Regina could respond, a knock sounded at the door. Regina called, "Come in," and the blonde she'd been expecting earlier finally swung the door open. Emma looked surprised to see Snow sitting next to Regina but didn't comment on it. The Sheriff just cleared her throat, nodded towards Regina, and asked, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Though loathe to admit it, the conversation with Snow had helped Regina adjust to the thought of being Emma's True Love, but looking at the Sheriff was causing the Mayor's earlier doubts and fears to resurface. Regina was actually tempted to push the conversation off for a while longer, but Snow White had apparently hit her quota for not meddling. The younger woman chirped, "Yes! She'll be right there, just give us one more second."

Emma shot Regina a puzzled look, but at the Mayor's nod retreated to wait in the hall. As soon as the door closed, Snow beamed at the older brunette, "Don't worry about anything before the ball tonight. I'll go find Henry and make sure he's taken care of." Then Snow White flapped her hands at the ex-Evil Queen in a shooing motion.

Regina arched an eyebrow at Snow, "You do realize this is my room?"

Snow waved her hand dismissively, "Yes, now go outside and woo my daughter."

The Mayor shivered, "Never say that again."

"I won't have to if you woo her the first time," Snow quipped.

Regina rolled her eyes, _There's one incentive._ The Mayor stood, flattened out the already smooth sleeves of her dress and began to walk towards the door. Her hand was on the doorknob when Snow called, "Regina." The Mayor looked over her shoulder at the younger brunette. Snow was still smiling, but it had simmered into a soft, happy grin, "Don't be nervous. Emma looks at you the same way."

Regina nodded, took a deep breath and answered, "After Neverland." Snow quirked her head and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Regina explained, "The day Emma asked me to help her with magic. Later that evening was the first time I realized that I have feelings for her."

Snow was beaming again and beginning to look a little teary eyed. _And there's my cue._ So, still tingling with nerves, Regina opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

 _ **For all of my beautiful people at home looking at the gaping potential plot hole and going "Wait, a second…" I know True Love's kiss usually breaks a curse immediately, but that first time Belle kissed Rumpelstiltskin the Dark One curse was shown as slowly seeping out of him. So, I decided to interpret that as the Dark One curse is hella powerful and needs a hot second for True Love's kiss to be fully effective #creativelicence. Love y'all!**_


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